What Could've Been
by MahfaeraakTahrodiis
Summary: Realizing you have a huge crush on your best friend's brother is heartbreaking, and for Penelope Garcia, it was worse. In 7th grade, Penelope became best friends with Sean, & met his twin brother, Aaron Hotchner. When their lives began to intertwine, it seemed just as suddenly everything began to unravel. Time heals old wounds, or does it? Hotchner/Garcia AU,OOC. Please Review!
1. Chapter 1

**A.N.-_ Hello everyone! Hope you have a great Holiday coming up! I hope you like it please let me know! I am telling you now there could be mature themes here. Sex, drugs, whatever. If you don't like it, don't read! I hope you all stay but I will understand. Well... Enjoy!_**

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What Could've Been

Chapter One

Police sirens blared loudly in her ears, and some idiot was babbling next to her, something she didn't care to listen to at the moment. She didn't know how she felt about these new set of circumstances. On one hand, a little embarrassed it is happening in front of her apartment complex she called home for the past ten years, but on the other... she kind of expected it.

She supposed one way or another, this should have happened. Now, later, earlier... did it really matter? The man blubbering in her ear grabbed her arm roughly, and shoved it behind her back. Walking outside, her neighbors watched in horror as she walked down to the local Sheriff's police car. The man, police officer Body took out his handcuffs and slapped them hard against her wrists. She winced, but other than that remained quiet.

Opening the car door, he tightened the cuffs sharply against her wrist, the cold cuffs against her exposed arms sent chills down her spine. Putting a large hand on top of her head, he forced her in and shut the door loudly. She winced, and peeked up at the officer that was already in the driver's seat. He was a wheezy old man with a thin gray mustache whose stomach pressed tightly against the steering wheel.

"Come on, Wheeze. Tell your partner to get in here and we can head to the jail before my hair turns whiter than your ped-o mustache," she jabbed. He narrowed his eyes through the mirror, but didn't say anything. Shrugging, she decided to take a nap since she had no idea how long it would be until he got into the car. Unfortunately, a few minutes later the other officer came into the squad car.

She saw her reflection through the window, and with her hair half-up, smudged makeup, and wearing a thin tank top and short shorts she may as well add soliciting to the charges. Shutting her eyes, when she opened them she noticed a figure behind her. Black hair, young, strong, lanky build, and eyes that haunt her every time she seems to look in a mirror. He stares at her, hurt and the crooked smile he gives her makes her heart race. She feels tears prick her eyes, when his smile falls and the longing in his eyes hurt just as it did so long ago, she wants to yell, or beg him to stay with her, to not leave her. Her heart constricting, she shut her eyes tightly and with a shaky breath opened them. As usual he was gone, and that felt even worse than seeing him there.

They brought her in, and immediately threw her in a cell. Nothing happened for a couple of hours, no speaking to her, no change of clothes or finger prints. It was odd. Finally, someone came and opened her cell. They asked her some questions, and she wouldn't talk without a lawyer. Being there for a few hours was too long to be there. They had nothing to hold her for, and they knew it. Finally, she asked for a phone call.

She called the closest and least non-judgmental brother she had, Jason, and he came within a few hours. They didn't put her in a cell after her phone call, instead for some weird reason they placed her in the waiting room, with cuffs and two guards standing over her. He smiled his boyish grin and shook his head.

He was six years older than her, with blonde shaggy hair and brown eyes. He had his hipster glasses on with a hat and his work clothes on. Looking at him, she looked down, and silently told him how sorry she was. He was a great brother, and he was always her favorite. She had four older brothers, and they were scattered all around the U.S. and luckily, her favorite one lived only an hour away. Her brothers loved her, but they were too far apart in age to ever be friends with her. Her oldest brother, Zach, just turned forty. Then there was Daniel, Jason, and the youngest was Brian. Jason and Brian were twins, but they looked nothing alike now, although they were identical when they were younger. It was very evident growing up that she was the "unplanned baby", but that was okay.

She could hear the words, but nothing was registering. Jason, who at first was calm, began to wave his hands in frustration, and slowly turning around to face her, she saw his boyish grin was gone. Before she could fully comprehend it, they yanked her up and brought her out of the front doors. Jason ran behind her, and kept asking, "What happened? What did you get yourself into, Penelope? Do you want me to call the others?" Dread laced itself into her bones, and she shook her head. She couldn't understand it.

Shaking her head still, she looked at her terrified brother blankly as they shut the transport car door, dividing her brother from her. "I'll call the others, Penny! Don't worry! Love you!" he screamed through the glass. She felt tears prick her eyes and nodded, not trusting her voice. She was terrified, and all she kept thinking was how different her life could have turned out if she hadn't been so stupid.

* * *

_She walked into 2__nd__ period, and she immediately wanted to turn around. She had been late and everyone was staring at her. She started off last month keeping her head down and not answering questions like a good kid, but now, everyone was looking at her._

_She scurried__ to the back but saw her normal spot had someone in her seat. It was the absolute perfect spot to never get chosen to __almost never __talk in class, and the one place others won't bother to look because all that was back there was a lame poster that every teacher in the history of teaching had in __all of__ their class. Not wanting to cause a scene, she abruptly sat down and __couldn't help but look in her spot or more importantly who was in it._

_He was a boy, her age with __short __jet-black hair and chestnut eyes. He seemed sort of lanky for seventh grade, __with a long jaw and elongated neck,__ and he was diligently writing his notes of what the teacher was talking about. He was __the most beautiful boy she'd ever seen__, and if she already didn't __declare her love for Leonardo DiCaprio, she would've been all over that. She was nothing if not faithful._

_Sighing, she grabbed her notebook from her backpack. It had stickers all over it, things she was into, actors she loved. Flipping it open to a blank page, she tapped her pen on the margin. "I told him not to sit there. Sorry, he can be a dick," the boy in front of __her__ murmured. Started, __she__ looked up and noticed him._

_He was quite handsome, with a stockier build than the __S__eat-__S__tealer but just as handsome. His hair was blonde, with a faux-hawk and he had a light amount of freckles on his cheeks. They were slightly chubbier than the __S__eat-__S__tealer but by no means was he fat. His sky blue eyes flicked from her brown eyes down to her notebook. __His smile was perfect and quite infectious. Suddenly, she felt weird, as if she walked into a beautiful-people class and any minute now they are going to throw her out on her ass._

_T__ruth be told at the moment she felt kind of stupid. They had been in class together that long and she never noticed either of them. Thinking back, all she ever did was look down and focus on her notebook and doodled. First one in, first one out. _

_Clearing her throat, she shook her head and questioned with her eyes what he meant. He motioned to the kid in her seat, who wasn't paying attention to them. "Aaron. I told him you sat in that seat, and you would kick his ass if he sat there. He went on about how his eyes were 'better on this side of the room', or some shit. What an ass," he said._

_So __S__eat-__S__tealer, or Aaron, is the beautiful one who apparently could be a__n ass__. Great. It always seems that way. _Wait, he said brother, right? No way! They look nothing alike! Are they adopted or something?_ she wondered. Realizing she was taking too long to speak, she leaned in closer. "So, brother, huh? Twins, or which one was held back __again in seventh grade__?" he kept his smile and looked at his brother._

"_We're fraternal twins. I know, it's weird, right? I look like our mom, and he looks like our dad. Genetics, huh?" he laughed. She nodded, not believing it. She had fraternal twin brothers and they looked practically identical. _

"_Yeah, so what's your name? I'm Penelope." He grinned and held out a fist. "The name's Sean Hotchner." She gave him a lop-sided grin and connected her fist against his. The teacher began calling on students to answer, so Sean turned around. Garcia blushed, and looked at her paper. _

_When the bell rang, she started putting her stuff away when she saw Aaron get up from his seat. He didn't bother looking at her, instead walked over to his brother who was still loading his backpack up. "Let's go, Sean. I have to get across the school for my next class," Seat-Stealer huffed. Sean, laid-back, smirked at his brother._

"_Yeah, sure. I need to talk to Mrs. Gundersen about something, anyways." Before they left, Sean turned to Penelope. "Hey, do you want to come over to our table at lunch, Penelope?" Sean asked casually. Penelope shrugged, and flung her backpack over her shoulder, moving her blonde hair away from her shoulder._

"_Sure. If Seat-Stealer doesn't have a problem with it," she asked, gauging Aaron's reaction. He wasn't looking at her, instead looking at the door. When it was quiet, he turned and saw the pair staring at him. "He's fine with it. Sometimes he goes to sit with some other friends, anyways," Sean offered. Garcia smiled, and began walking out of the classroom._

"_See you then," she waved. Walking to her next class, Penelope was wondering how that just happened. It turns out she had a few other classes with them. She had two with Sean, and two with Aaron aside from the one they were just at. She had both of them in A.P. English, and Sean in A.P. Science and Aaron in Gym class. She felt kind of dumb not noticing before, but she decided better late than never._

_Lunchtime, she slowly got her hot lunch and walked awkwardly around the tables, hoping to spot them. Knots tightened in her stomach, and for a moment panic set in. _What if this was a trap? He seemed nice, but what if he was just pretending? What will I do then? I will be mortified!_ She freaked inside. This was too much pressure. This is why she took to eating lunch in the computer labs._

_Looking around, she saw a hand fly up, but it was someone she didn't recognize. She looked at her trembling pale hands clutching her tray that was covered in Tuesday Surprise and wanted to get swallowed up. Turning around, she began walking to the cafeteria doors when she heard him. "Penelope! Over here!"_

_She looked to her left, and Sean and Aaron were there, Sean with a big goofy smile and Aaron talking to some other girl. Relieved, she walked over to them and sat across from the brothers. "Hey, Sean," she said. He nodded and opened his soda. "So, you are actually eating that shit?" he asked, pointing to her food on her tray._

_Frowning, she moved the brown glob around, and she couldn't tell for the life of her if it was beef or gravy. Her family life is so hectic with all the boys at her house, she was more of an after-thought. The boys had sack lunches and her mother could never remember the number of meals she made. She always ended up handing her some cash or a carrot to eat from their garden._

_So half the time she didn't eat and saved up for a new computer or video game. It was a lot easier to buy this way instead of going to her parents. This time she bought the food because they asked her to eat, so she actually had something to munch on. Shrugging, she set her fork down._

"_Not really. Why, you want it?" Disgusted, he shook his head. "No thanks, I want to live until next period," he dead-panned. Giggling, she shoved the grotesque food away, and ate the green beans that sat in the corner of the tray. They tasted as good as they looked, which wasn't saying much, but still it was good to have something in her stomach. Aaron stopped talking to the girl who sat with them and looked at her. She felt a light blush heat from her chest to her face, and looked at him. He seemed to be scrutinizing her or something._

"_Sean told me I stole your spot. Sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad," he said. His face was blank, at first glance but the longer she stared, the more she saw his emotions at the far reaches of his eyes. She waved it off, not really caring. It turned out better that it happened. If it didn't happen, she would have a date with Mac, or so she called the number 22 computer in the computer lab instead of coming out here and meeting some people._

"_It's cool. It's Aaron, right? I'm Penelope Garcia," she brought her hand out to shake. He gave a faint smile and grabbed hers and shook firmly. She could feel her face burning, and hoped they couldn't tell. "You're the oldest, aren't you?" she giggled. Aaron gave her an intrigued look._

"_Yeah, how could you tell?" he questioned. She shrugged and pulled out her notebook from her backpack. "I have twin brothers," she stated plainly. They nodded, seeming to magically understand her. Sean gasped and grabbed her notebook. He looked at the stickers on the front and couldn't believe it._

"_You play Super Mario Brothers? Whoa, look at all the games on here. Have you played them all?" he asked eagerly. She nodded. "I have four brothers in my house. If I had a doll it never lasted more than a day there. I played a lot of those games but my brothers broke the Nintendo console a couple of years ago, so I put Mario on there for nostalgia purposes." Sean was really excited._

"_That is awesome. You should come over later! We were just going to go after school to get a new game." She smiled, and Aaron nodded and turned back to the girl. Sean leaned in and whispered loudly, "Looks like Aaron may not make it since he has a date." Aaron whipped around and shoved his brother's shoulder before looking at Garcia._

_Penelope felt her heart speed up, and even though he was awfully difficult to read but she had a feeling he wasn't mad at her, but trying to see her reaction. "I'm coming after school to get the game with you and you know it! If you don't shut up I'm gonna tell Mom what's under your mattress," he hissed. Penelope bit her lip, wishing she could ask what that is, and just by Sean's horrified reaction it had to have been good._

"_So, will you?" Penelope, lost in her thoughts of all the possibilities looked at Sean again. "Will I what?" Sean finished his last bite of his sandwich, and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. Garcia rolled her eyes and sighed. Boys are all the same..._

"_Will you come over to our house? If you want you can come with us to get a game and you can stay for dinner," he rambled. She smiled and nodded. She had nothing better to do, and since her old best friend moved early in the summer, she hadn't hung out with anyone in a long time._

"_Yes, but I will take you somewhere to pick it out. It's close by," she grinned. Sean and Aaron turned to look at each other, and nodded. Aaron didn't seem as enthused as Sean, but he didn't say no, so that was good._

"_Okay, I got to head to class. I'll meet you guys by the front doors. My last class is Gym, and that is all the way across the school, so..." Aaron looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I have Gym with you, remember?" he asked, his usual blank stare was gone and she saw a small smile form on his face._

"_Oh, uh, sorry... I didn't notice you there," she blushed. _Wow, I really need to pay more attention in my classes_, she thought. He laughed, and shook his head. "Are we that invisible?" he winked. Her blush deepened, and she adjusted her rectangular glasses. This was uncomfortable, but she loved seeing some expression on his face. He was so beautiful it hurt to look._

"_No! No way! I just... I mean I kind of been distracted lately and to be fair I don't even remember my teacher's names, so..." she trailed off, biting her lip. Sean laughed, and Aaron nodded and shrugged. "Okay, I'll wait for you by the Gym doors and we can walk to meet Sean. Okay?" Aaron asked her nicely._

_Nodding, she slung her backpack over her shoulder and just then the bell rang. She walked to her next class, which was Social Studies and sat down. This time, she carefully checked to see who was in her next class, or more importantly, if the Hotchner brothers were there._

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The cops said nothing to her, and she couldn't understand what was happening. She screamed, but they kept their mouth shut like she was invisible. It didn't make sense... wouldn't they have thrown her in a cell back at the station? They have been in the car for hours, barely stopping for bathroom breaks.

She fell asleep, what time she wasn't sure but woke when the sun glared into her eyes. She sat up and groaned, her body was sore from the uncomfortable position she found sleep in. The men were talking about the football game on that day, which could mean it's Sunday, but she couldn't be sure anymore.

Peering out, it was difficult to make out where they were. Her glasses were on, but were so smudged she could barely see out of them. Sighing, she hoped they would answer a single question at least before they got there. "Are we there, yet?"

The policemen in the passenger seat, Officer Jenkins, ignored her, along with the driver. Sighing, she looked out the bright window again. A female officer that sat across from her in the van, looked up from her book and held out a cup for her to drink. When Garcia finished drinking, the woman put the drink back next to her and stared intensely at her. Garcia felt the urge to stick her tongue out but refrained.

"We should be there soon, now stop asking," she murmured. Shocked, she mutely nodded and looked out the window again. _Finally_, she cried inside. _At least I know something. On the other hand... why bring me somewhere else_? She couldn't think of a crime she committed outside state lines but who knows how they prosecute these things. Maybe she should have looked more into that earlier...

After a couple more hours, the driver veered off the highway. The passenger, Jenkins, looked up from the GPS and said, "We're here." Looking out the window, she could feel panic bubble up in her chest. She shut her eyes and smacked the back of her head against the headrest. She knew where they were now, they were in Quantico, Virginia. For what, she wasn't sure but she knew it couldn't be good.

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_**A.N.- I Hope you enjoyed it! I hope to get another chapter out soon! Send me love!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N.-**_** Hey everyone! I am sorry it took me so long to update, but this should be coming along much quicker. Hopefully it won't be too hard to follow as the story progresses. I love me some Garcia and Hotch, and I have a couple other stories for these two in the works. See you are the bottom!**_

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Chapter Two

Cuffing her hands behind her back once again, they walked her into the large glass doors. Handing her off to new people, or FBI agents as detailed on their I.D. tags, and brought her in the elevator. When they hit the right floor, the agents moved her into an interrogation room. It was a little on the warm side, but she could imagine it. It could be worse, it could be freezing and it wouldn't be great in her little amount of clothing on the cold metal seat, chattering so hard her teeth may break while trying to deny what she'd done.

The door opened, and someone came in and asked if she was hungry or thirsty. She shook her head, and kept her head down. Not trusting her voice. She was terrified, but she didn't want to show it. They walked out, and she was left in there. For how long she wasn't sure, but she had a horrible itch on her ankle that she wanted to itch more than her life depended on it. Wouldn't be a wise choice, and kind of hard to do since her hands were handcuffed to the table.

It felt like hours, and she had to go to the bathroom. She did a small wave, and looked at the mirror. For another split-second, she saw that boy again and her heart skipped. Shutting her eyes, she took a deep breath once again. It was on her right, and across from her was the door. "Hello? I need to use the loo, please?" she asked, opening her eyes. A few seconds later, someone came in and escorted her to the bathroom. When she finished and walked out, the agent brought her back and cuffed her once again.

"Could we please get on with this already? Or at least, could you please give me a gossip magazine or something?" They walked out, not saying a word and she sighed. "Well it was worth a try," she muttered. Not wanting to look at the mirror again, she stared at the table, and thought about what her brothers must be thinking. Do they even know where she is? Should she call them or wait until she even knows why she is exactly in here? She hoped the station would have told them so they weren't worried, but who knows with those idiots?

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_Brushing my hair after Gym, I opened my gym locker and retrieved my backpack. Walking out, I saw Aaron leaning casually against the door, and looking off to the side. My heart was leaping, and I honestly wasn't sure why. Yes, I was attracted to him, but so far I didn't know anything about him to really warrant these feelings._

_I felt awkward and nervous, but seeing the lack of excitement on his face surprisingly calmed me down a little. He motioned for me to go ahead, and I did. I didn't know what to say since he wasn't the one who invited me out. Saying nothing, he walked me to Sean's locker, and didn't even look at me. He just stared ahead until we got there. Sean looked for us, and waited identical to how Aaron had waited for me._

"_Hey! Let's go, G.," Sean grabbed his backpack and headed for the doors. I stumbled forward, thinking. For once I actually loved the first thing someone had called me. Usually, others called me Penelope, but then there were my brothers, who loved to call me two names. P, or Pee Pee, along with Penny, and they know I hate those with an ungodly passion. Since they were all too big to beat me up like they would each other, dumb names seemed to do the trick to rile me up._

_I liked G. Simple, short and didn't involve my actual first name. It can be a keeper. "Follow me," I smiled. I was excited. This was my favorite place and because I go there so much, the owner gives me discounts and they get bigger the more people I can bring in. We walked, and talked about games, and music. Aaron stayed a few feet behind, not talking. To be honest I was getting uncomfortable._

"_So, what games do you like, Aaron?" I asked him. Looking up, his lips were in a thin line. "I am not into video games. Some, but Sean is more into them than I am." I stopped in my tracks and looked at Sean._

"_Well, why did you come? Not that I don't want you to come, but it sounded like you wanted to play games with us," I wondered. Sean and Aaron looked at each other and looked at me. "We don't know you. Mother told me to look out for Sean and I am. You could be an ax murderer or something. Sean wanted to hang out with you so I am just here to look out for him," Aaron stated matter-of factly._

_Sean looked guilty and gave a small nod. "You seem nice! Really, you do, but I would never forgive myself if someone hurt my brother. You know... besides me, of course." Aaron amended. I was shocked, a little offended and honestly quite surprised._

"_Are you kidding? I freakin' respect the crap out of that. Aside from you know, the obviously hurtful thoughts about me that's awesome you look out for each other." Aaron ran a hand through his hair and nodded, while Sean gave a huge smile. I shrugged and started to walk ahead, and waited for them to join me._

_So, Aaron didn't want to be friends, apparently. I was bummed, sure, but Sean still seemed interested, so that was a plus. Once we got there, we picked out a game, and Aaron picked out a couple of DVDs, and after meeting the owner, and promising they would return, we walked the long way to Sean's house._

_We hung out all day, playing against each other on the new game until it was dinner time. I didn't want to leave, but I didn't want to impose. "I should be heading out. Thanks for today. You want to come over tomorrow after school? Or did I not pass the test?" I joked. Sean laughed but seemed a little upset._

"_Do you have to leave? Why don't you call your mom and ask to eat dinner here?" I wanted to, but on the other hand it was my first night here, and if they were going to hang out more there will be plenty of opportunities then. Before she could say anything, Aaron closed his eyes and knocked._

"_Oh, good, you're decent. It's almost dinner Sean," he smirked. Sean rolled his eyes and shook his head. I blushed, and looked down. Damn, that seemed to be the theme that day for me. "Whatever Aaron. Quit being an ass. We'll be down just as soon as G. asks her mom if she can eat over," he said._

_Aaron's stance changed, and he took his hand out of his pocket and walked over to Sean. "I don't think it's a good idea. It's a weekday, Sean. Ask her to come this weekend," he urged. Sean was about to protest, and even though I was wondering what the big deal was, I didn't want to pry._

"_No, it's fine, Sean. I have to get going. You want to come over tomorrow?" Sean looked angry, but then grabbed my hand and took me out of his room. "Sure. That would be cool. Sorry you can't eat over. My father has rules, and..." I shook my head and squeezed his hand, assuring him. "Don't worry about it. My mom, complete opposite. Expect to be forced to eat over tomorrow. Okay?" I smiled._

_He nodded reluctantly, and held out his fist when we got to his front door. I bumped it against his and opened the door, only to reveal a someone standing there. I squeaked and moved behind Sean, who jumped as well._

"_Hello, Sean. Who is this you have here?" the man asked. Sean grabbed my arm and tugged which I reluctantly came from behind him to stand arm in arm with Sean. "Father, this is Penelope Garcia. G., this is my father," he introduced us. I relaxed and waved at him. Sean's father, his eyes intrigued, darted back and forth at the two of us before waving himself._

"_Nice to meet you, Penelope." He was very tall, and while thin seemed very muscular. They were right, Aaron looked exactly like him. His gray hair was short and perfect, and he was completely clean-shaven yet had some stubble coming in. Their father would be quite handsome if he would smile, but it looked like something so far out of reach a giggle almost exploded out of my mouth._

"_Nice to meet you too, sir. I was just leaving." I waved at Sean and walked around their father, who didn't seem to move. "Be safe going home, now, Penelope." I nodded and walked home. Surprisingly, I only lived down the street from them. They were in the nice part of the suburb that began around their house and we were just outside of it. Their house looked like something you'd see in a magazine._

_In Parker, Colorado, where we lived, their house was a beautiful two-story colonial with white paint and red shutters. Perfect lawn, perfect curb-appeal with flower bushes lining their sidewalk and perfect hedges. It was just as beautiful on the inside, and their mother must have worked so hard to get it so lovely._

_I walked to my house, where I could hear my brothers screaming from down the road. My oldest brother was home with a new girlfriend over to meet the family, and a couple of my brothers were home from college, so they were exceptionally loud today. I smiled as I locked the gate, excited for tomorrow._

_The next day, when I went to our first class together, my seat was open and Sean was sitting across from me while Aaron was behind me. I smiled and said hi, but I just got a small nod from Aaron while Sean actually acknowledged me. The rest of the day Sean and I passed notes, and doodled in each other's notebooks while Aaron hung out with someone else that day._

_After school, Aaron went to their house while I took Sean to mine. He was excited to see how close we lived by each other and we locked the gate. "So, just to let you know... it's a zoo in there, but a harmless zoo." He smiled and waved it off, and we stepped inside. I took him to my room, and felt nervous._

"_Cool... room. Lots of... clowns," he tried to be nice. I blushed and looked at the clown wallpaper border around my room and the hand painted clowns my mother painted when I was four all over my room. I couldn't sleep for a couple of years until my fear stopped outweighing my need for privacy. I have spent the last couple of years hanging posters over them or adding some extra... features to the clowns._

"_Yeah, I know. I hate them with every fiber of my being, but my mother thought I would like it, just because I had a Jack-in-the-box from when my other brothers were little. She painted them herself, when I was like four. That clown over there is a robot/Jedi who has turned rogue. His name is Bonks," I showed him the additions I made to it, and he smiled._

"_Awesome. But why didn't you paint over it instead of adding to it if you hate them so much?" he asked. I shrugged and turned on my computer that was next to my bed. I used the bed as a chair since my room wasn't very big. My computer was my Christmas/Birthday present for the year and I didn't regret it. "I don't know. I guess I feel a little bad since she spent such a long time on them, and it wouldn't change the fact that I still have the border on the wall," I reasoned. He nodded, understanding and sat on my bed._

_I never had a boy in my room before, so I wasn't sure if I should stay on the bed or not. Realizing it was only Sean, I decided it was fine. This was Sean, and besides... I had four brothers in the house that would turn him into a doormat in a matter of seconds. I sat next to him, and showed him some things I learned about coding and web design. He was really interested and asked how to do everything I didn't know how to do yet. But still... I was glad someone else I knew seemed to show some type of interest in the things I like._

_Hearing a knock on the door, I looked up and my mother was there. "Hey Mom. This is Sean Hotchner. Sean, this is my mom, Michelle." Sean walked over and held out his hand to shake. "Nice to meet you, Ma'am." She tilted her head to the side and smiled sweetly at him._ _I had her eyes, and hair, but I had my dad's build, which isn't the best look, but I do what I can._

"_Look at those manners, Penelope! You are so sweet, but I am not a Ma'am nor will I be anytime soon I should think. Call me Michelle. Nice to meet you too," she shook his hand softly and leaned against the doorway._

"_Mom, was there something you wanted?" I was starting to get uncomfortable. She stepped in and crossed her arms. "Do you remember what you were supposed to do today?" I thought for a second, until it hit me._

"_Mom! Come on! Can't I do it tomorrow?" She shook her head and Sean slithered back by the bed, and my mom looked slightly guilty. "No, you already are a few days behind." Looking at Sean, he seemed quite confused, and I really didn't want him to leave._

"_Please Mom? Just today? Ask Brian to do it! Please, please, please," I begged. Michelle shook her head and winced. "Really? Brian? Is that really a good idea?" she questioned. I groaned, knowing she was right. "I am really sorry, but you know the rules. Sean, you are welcome to stay if you'd like. Lovely meeting you," she smiled and walked out of the room._

_I groaned and flopped my body on the bed, holding my arm over my forehead. "What was that about?" Sean asked lowly. I sighed dramatically, and got up on my feet. "Only my indentured servitude," I looked away and felt bad. I promised him we would have fun and play on my computer._

_He raised an eyebrow and smirked. "What is it you have to do, Cinderella?" I stuck my tongue out, and he giggled. I loved his laugh. It was warm and quite infectious. I let out a small laugh and walked by the door. "I completely forgot I have to cook dinner tonight. I guess we can do this another day if you want," I sulked._

_Sean's eyes became wide. "Cooking? What do you make?" Scratching my head, I shrugged. "I make quite a bit of stuff. My mom is a great cook, but she has been working a lot at night, so she is pretty tired. I just use her recipes she lays out," I told him. He seemed genuinely interested, so I couldn't help but ask. "Do you like cooking or something?" Nodding, he gave a bashful smile and walked closer to me._

"_Yeah, I kind of love it. When I was bored I went and helped my mom make dinner. Don't tell Aaron, though. He finds anything he possibly can to make fun of me, which of course, isn't much," he winked. I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Yes, because god forbid we wouldn't want the Hotchner boys, i.e. 'Perfection', to show a flaw of any kind," I joked._

_He narrowed his eyes and stuck out his tongue, mimicking me. I giggled and wrapped my arm around his, and walked out of my room. "So, you can leave, or you could help me cook, if you wanted to," I laid out the options. My mind raced, hoping he would help me so we could hang out after dinner, but that is pretty rude to ask my new friend to stay and help me cook for my family._

"_Are you kidding? That actually sounds cool. I just have some rules, like I don't do dishes, I like to use machinery, and we get to taste as we go." I laughed, and nodded. "Deal. Just don't use fingers. One word... ew," I shuddered. Walking to the kitchen, I looked on the chalk board and listed for today was spaghetti and garlic bread. Relieved, I walked to the cupboards and grabbed the ingredients._

_Sean stood at the kitchen island, and waited for me to finish rounding up the stuff. "Have you made this before?" I asked. He swallowed, and nodded. "Y-yeah. Um... that is a lot of stuff, though, isn't it?" Putting the tomatoes on the island, I grabbed a cutting board and a knife._

"_What's the matter?" I could see he was nervous but didn't understand how if he made it before. "It's uh... it's just that I never made this much before. What if I don't make enough and I starve your family and they never let me over again?" he rambled. I squeezed his arm and walked around to grab the baguette._

"_Don't worry. We make extras so there are leftovers too, so I am sure we will make enough. You do realize I have four older brothers, right? If there was no food in this house my brothers would turn cannibal on us in a heartbeat." He nodded, and took a deep breath. "Okay, here we go, then," he muttered._

_We made it quite fast and Sean gained more confidence throughout making the pasta. He seemed quite happy and when we finished, we called everyone down to dinner. We were quite proud of our food and we ended up making enough leftovers to feed us for the whole week, but everyone liked it so much they had a couple helpings each._

_Sean met my step-father, Rich, and my brothers, who kind of ignored him. I asked my brother, Jason, why they did that, and they said, "When he starts to go on dates with you, that's when we'll give a damn about him. Did you tell him we each own guns?" I narrowed my eyes and checked to see if Sean had come back from using the bathroom yet._

"_Jason, don't be stupid. You don't have any guns," I hissed. Jason blushed slightly and threw his hands up. "Yeah, but he doesn't know that!" I scoffed and shook my head, over with this conversation. I walked to my room and sat on the bed, waiting for Sean._

_Walking in, he leaped on my bed and rubbed his full stomach. "That was freakin' delicious! Thanks for letting me stay for dinner." I smiled and waved him off, glad he had a good time. I really liked him as a friend, and this had meant a lot to me to have a friendship again._

"_No worries. My house is always a swinging door. You can eat over any time," I assured him. He lit up and opened his backpack. "Sweet! Thanks, G." We hung out the rest of the night until it was time to go. I walked him outside and waved as he rode his bike down the road to his house. I was so excited for school the next day, I went to sleep as soon as I went inside._

_After that, we became inseparable. If I wasn't at home, I was at his house. For a month straight we hung out together, and became best friends. We just clicked. It was awesome to know I could count on someone. Being so much younger than my brothers, I never felt very close to any of them, and I had a couple friends growing up, but we had nothing in common aside from our crushes on literary characters in our favorite novels and celebrities._

* * *

A female officer came, and gave her a glass of water. She didn't even bother saying thanks, and she just wanted to get this over with. However, she knew the more she asked, the more they would keep their mouth shut so she looked down and began to hum the song, "this is the song that never ends," and wouldn't look at the officer.

"You're the type who just want to watch the world burn, ain't ya?" the woman asked, huffing. She bit back her smile, glad to see she had gotten to her, and shrugged. Honestly, she wasn't like that... but she didn't have to know that.

Instead of responding, she started to actually sing the words. Loudly. Shaking her head, the officer walked out, and the room was quiet again.

* * *

_We had a dance that happened a month after we met, and Sean had asked a girl to come but wanted me to go with them. Aaron had asked someone to go with him as well, so I felt like the fifth wheel. I decided it could be worse and not asked to go at all._

_I wanted to ask someone, but I was nervous and truth be told, I thought _someone_ would have asked me, but no one did. Not one person showed the slightest interest. So, I figured a good time out with my new friends would be enough._

_Everyone was having a great time, and instead of sitting on the side all night while the Hotchner boys danced with their dates, I grabbed some girls who were in the same boat as me, and we all danced in a big group in the center of the dance floor, acting goofy. I went as Sally from _the Nightmare Before Christmas_ and made my own costume. It was fun, and when I sat down to take a breath, Sean had come up dressed as Batman and pulled a chair next to her._

_He had been nervous, and supposedly so was Aaron since tonight they had planned their first kiss with their dates, and seeing how Sean had a dopey grin and a light blush on his face, it was evident he kissed Mary. They talked about the dance and people there, and Penelope stared over by Mary, who had a few boys circling around._

"_So... you want to dance later, G? Last dance with my girl?" he winked. I giggled, and narrowed my eyes._

"_You have enough to worry about than to grace my dance card, mister. Do you see the vultures moving in on Mary? Go on, and I'll see you later," I warned him. It was true, ever since she practically turned down all of their grade for this dance they have been waiting for their moment to strike. Mary, with her long dark brown hair and light blue eyes and an air about her that screamed aloofness, it was no surprise._

"_Wish me luck. She wasn't too happy our first kiss was in public. Maybe I should have took her out in the hallway, I don't know..." he groaned. I huffed and shook my head. This idiot doesn't get it..._

"_Trust me, she didn't mean that. I guarantee that she will let you kiss her again. That is, if she didn't hate it," I giggled. Narrowing his eyes, he smacked my arm lightly and got to his feet. "Well of course she wouldn't. I have it on good authority that I am a good kisser," he said indignantly. Before I could retort, Aaron came up next to us._

"_Yeah, Sean, your pillow or Mom don't count as votes, so..." he smiled. His eyes gleamed in satisfaction when Sean turned and growled. Sean suddenly turned to me, and my giggles turned to full blown tears. "I was gonna say your hand doesn't count, Sean but those were better!" Sean, angry, stormed off and walked up to Mary._

_Mary, dressed as a princess, didn't acknowledge him right away and Sean grabbed her hand. He then walked her out into the hallway, and all of her friends began to scatter to their own dates. When I turned to look if Aaron was still there, he was staring at me. He had a look on his face that I couldn't place, and he looked me up and down, until his gorgeous eyes settled on my own._

"_So, Aaron, where is your date? I'm sorry, I have to ask... what is she by the way?" I had to ask. He winced and sighed. "Yeah... I was too afraid to ask. I wasn't sure if I should say that she looked beautiful or terrifying and terrifying was not what she was going for, apparently..." he scratched his head. I slapped a hand to my mouth, and laughed. I sympathized with him, and even though I sort of secretly wished I was the one he asked, I wanted him to enjoy himself._

"_Oh well, I better get back. See you later Penelope," he smiled. I waved, and got to my feet. After another hour of awkward group dances and too much non-spiked punch, I sat back down. The DJ warned the group there was one more dance after the one playing and it was time to head home. I was just going to sit them out. Looking out, I saw Sean immediately, dancing with his date. They were dancing to the fast song playing and talking over the loud music._

_I checked my phone and saw it was almost time to go, so I threw my drink in the trash. When I turned around, Aaron was walking up behind me. His date stayed where they had been dancing, talking to some friends, and after throwing their food in the garbage, Aaron took down his hood. "It's hot in here! Next year I am going to wear a toga, I swear to god!" he groaned as he waved his heated face. I nodded agreeing. I was wearing a dress and I could tell how warm it was. Of course, picturing him in a toga sent my cheeks crimson instantly._

"_They need to actually open some doors in this place. It's forty degrees outside and all they use are the old fans overhead!" I agreed. Aaron nodded and placed his scythe on a nearby table. Looking at me, he glanced at his brother across the room. "So are you coming to our house after?"_

"_Yeah, I'm spending the night. You want to hang out with us?" Aaron furrowed his brows and looked down. "Yeah for a bit, I guess." Suddenly, the song changed and it was a slow song. I nodded and waved my goodbye since I knew he had to get back to the girl he was with._

"_Penelope? Do you want to dance?" Shocked, I almost didn't turn to him. I wasn't expecting to dance with him. His brother, maybe; but not him. Aaron's sweet smile revealed this wasn't a joke, he was serious. "Don't be silly! Your girlfriend is waiting for you!" I told him. I hoped beyond hope that he would still want to dance with me, even though I knew it wasn't possible._

"_She is just a date. Please, Penelope?" he asked again. His elbow extended out, he waited for my arm to slip in with his. If I didn't have a vomit-colored green paint on my face he may have seen my deep blush. I couldn't speak, too tongue-tied and only nodded. It was just a dance, and I wasn't even sure why I was getting so worked up about it, but I was._

_Walking toward him, I wrapped my arm around his, and we walked to the dance floor. "Thanks. I swear I will try not to step on your toes, but I make no promises," I murmured. He laughed and brought us to near the middle of the dance floor._

_My heart was pounding wildly, and even my hands were slightly shaking. I nervously wrapped them around his neck, while he held my hips, and we swayed back and forth at first. "You look great tonight. That costume is amazing. You said you sewn the costume yourself?" he wondered. His hands naturally bunched the fabric in his hands, raising my hem above my knees. Blushing, he let go of it and looked down._

_I retained my blush and I knew his intentions. It wasn't like he was just going to hike up my dress all of a sudden or anything. "Thanks. Yeah, I tried to match it to the movie, but I couldn't distress this part of the fabric enough and I couldn't get the right pattern for this cloth here, and..." I was stopped by a small squeeze on my hips. My dress took me a while to make, since it was a large amount of throwing together chunks of fabric and using thick threads to tie them all together._

"_It looks amazing. I have always loved that movie. I was actually thinking about being Jack Skellington this year but I wasn't able to figure out the head issues." Shocked, it took me a moment to speak._

"_I didn't know you liked that movie. We should watch it tonight! Sean said he never saw it. Do you have it at home?" he thought about it, and after a few seconds he nodded. "Yeah I believe it's in the basement." Excited, I jumped quickly up and down, and Aaron laughed._

"_Thanks for the dance. It's fun to dance with a group but it turns a little weird when one of them starts to put their head on your shoulders." Aaron had moved a tiny step forward, and it didn't amount to much difference but I couldn't help but notice his warmth._

"_So did you ask anyone to go to the dance?" I looked down and shrugged. "No, someone seemed interested in our gym class, but he told me a few days ago he already asked someone else, so..." I shrugged. I naturally looked for the boy I asked, Jerry, and he had been sitting in the same spot all night, with no one to dance with. Sighing, I looked back to Aaron and butterflies erupted in my stomach. I wanted to go with a date but I honestly liked this too. If I was with a date I may not have had the chance to dance with him._

"_Yeah... that could be our fault. Sorry," he said. His body was suddenly much more rigid, and I chewed my lower lip, thinking. "Sorry for what?" Aaron was looking down, and glanced over to his brother before looking at me._

"_Sean overheard Max Paulson, you know, the one who everyone said he had a make out party last month? Well he said he was going to to take you to the dance. Sean confronted him, and asked if you said yes. He said he was going to ask you at lunch, and Sean may have told him that you are going with him, and may have threatened to never look in your direction ever again if he ever wanted to make it to the dance."_

_I sputtered, and couldn't find my voice. That was insane! Sean never asked me to go! Why would he do that? "I don't understand! Why would Sean threaten him?" I asked, confused. Aaron shrugged, and seemed he was holding something back._

"_There's more isn't there..." I guessed. He nodded and let out a huge breath. His breath was fruity, like the punch with a small hint of mint from his Altoids. "Yeah, he only said that so you wouldn't go with someone he didn't think was right for you, and since the rest of class heard it they may have gossiped to the whole school that you are dating Sean, or me... or both?" He shyly looked at her, and a smile danced across his face._

"_Oh my God! I'm a slut! I'm a Hotch-whore! Oh my God! I'm gonna kill him! What was he thinking?" I groaned. I was absolutely mortified, and now that I was dancing with one of them, it may as well be true. Suddenly, the music stopped and the lights turned on._

_Looking around, I saw Sean wave goodbye to his date, and I turned to Aaron. "I am going to kill your brother. Or I could just get even..." I smirked and Aaron had a twinkle in his eyes, nodding. After Mary walked out of the doors of the auditorium, I walked over to Sean._

"_Hey you ready to go?" Sean asked. I smiled, and shook my head. "Nope. Sorry, I am going to go to Max Paulson's make out party tonight." I smiled brightly at him. Face turning pale, he sputtered. "You can't! You were supposed to come over for a sleep over tonight! Remember?" he sputtered. I gave him a sympathetic look and smacked his shoulder._

"_Don't be silly! I can make it to the party and come to see you later. He came up to me earlier and said he can't wait to see me there! Isn't that sweet?" I sighed dreamily. Sean scoffed and looked over to Max Paulson's general direction._

"_What the hell, G? Why go out with him? You deserve so much better than that prick!" he snapped. I shrugged, not really caring what he had to say. He went too far. "It's my decision, Sean. The same way it was my decision if I wanted to go with someone like Max Paulson or not! You don't get to decide for me! I wouldn't have went with him, and thanks to you, everyone thinks I am a Hotch-whore now!" I fumed. Sean tried speaking, but I wouldn't let him. I stormed past him and went outside to get some air. It was cold, but the heat from inside was too stifling._

_I sat on a nearby bench, when someone came up behind me. It was Aaron, who had brought my coat. He didn't sit down, but looked on at all of the other kids getting into their cars to leave. "He meant well. Besides me, you are his best friend. He's had a ton of friends, but you and him just clicked, and he was only looking out for you."_

"_I know, but I kept my head down before I met you guys for a reason. I don't need people finding excuses to make fun of me anymore than they already did. For the past two years, I have kept a low profile because I was always the "weird kid", and even though I had a few friends growing up, most of them always turned on me and jumped on the bandwagon. My only true friend was gay and he moved away to be closer to the "'Pray the Gay Away' programs," I admitted._

_Aaron sighed, and brought his hood around his head, trying to block the wind from seeping into his bones. "My brother may be a dumb ass, but he means well. He didn't want you to get hurt, and it would really hurt him if you didn't come to our house."_

_Rolling my eyes, I knew he was right. It just sucked and I loved the kid, but if he kept this up, I will be in a house all alone feeding and cuddling with my forty cats. Getting to my feet, I walked with Aaron to Sean, who had been tapping his foot. Seeing me, he sighed in relief._

"_Oh! I'm so sorry, G! I didn't want you to get your heart stomped by that jackass and," I cut him off, and waved my arms. "Aaron explained it to me, and yes I get it, but no more! Understand?" I narrowed my eyes playfully. He nodded and held out his fist._

_We walked to his mother's car, and got inside. When he got to their house, we immediately went into Sean's room. We stayed up for a few more hours, watching scary movies and playing games until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I wasn't sure where they wanted me to sleep, and even though I had no issues sleeping in Sean's room, they did have plenty of guest rooms._

_Aaron stretched, and with a yawn, he walked by the door. "I'm out. See ya for pancakes," he winked and walked out. Looking at Sean, I whipped out some cards. "Wanna play?" I saw the excitement in his eyes and I took that as my answer. We cleared our candy out of the way and just as I finished dealing, Aaron came knocking on the door._

"_Hey I am gonna crash over here. Don't mind me," he grumbled. He was visibly upset, and I wasn't sure why. Sean, confused, picked up his cards._

"_I thought you were going to bed. In your room?" He pointed to the doorway, annoyed. Aaron smirked and shook his head. "Sorry, I have to be in here if she is. Father went into my room and told me to come in here," he said cautiously. Sean sighed and handed him some cards to play._

_Aaron walked over, and checked his cards. "What are we playing?" I smirked, and hid behind my cards. "The volatile game known as, Go Fish. Ever played?" I asked. He smiled, and shook his head._

"_Yes, a time or two. Lost my car to this game, you know," he joked, deepening his voice. I nodded sympathetically, and giggled. Sean focused on his cards and took away the pair already in his hand. "So what did Father say, exactly?"_

_Aaron suddenly became serious, and didn't look up from his cards. "The usual. Colossians 3:5-6." Sean's eyes narrowed and he grumbled something under his breath._

"_What is "Colosseums," exactly?" I asked, not understanding. I figured it was something from the bible, but I wasn't exactly very religious. Aaron looked at her, and she could see all light leave his eyes, leaving them empty shells that sent a chill down her spine. "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming."_

_I raised an eyebrow, and looked at an angry Sean. "That seems a little much for a sleep over. I don't get it." I didn't. Their parents agreed it was fine I could spend the night. I would be happy to head home if they suddenly felt differently._

"_Our father wants to make sure you guys don't get into trouble. He thinks you are going to... you know." He waved his hand, turning bright red. I looked from the two and busted up laughing. I laughed so hard tears fell from my eyes._

"_That won't be an issue. Sean? Me? Really?" I couldn't stop laughing and Sean looked up from his cards. "You don't have to laugh that hard, G," he said, insulted. It just made me laugh harder. Finally, after a few minutes, I calmed down enough to play. I felt bad Aaron was stuck in here, but he didn't seem to hate it at least._

_When Sean won the last two games, they were shuffling again and about to play some Texas hold 'em when Aaron lightly chuckled to himself. After a minute, he laughed again, and soon enough, he was laughing so hard, he was holding his stomach, head almost to the floor._

_Sean and I looked at one another, confused. "What's so funny, Aaron?" Sean asked, confused. Aaron took a few seconds to calm down enough to explain._

"_Hotch-Whore? Really?" he guffawed. I blushed, and looked at Sean, who started laughing too. Soon, we were all laughing really hard, momentarily forgetting the card game. _

_Later on, they went to sleep. I slept on their couch, and Sean slept in his bed. Aaron had to sleep on the floor. The next morning, their father didn't make it for breakfast, still asleep, but Elena made her special blueberry pancakes. They were amazing. When she handed me the syrup, her sleeves slid higher and I swore I saw dark marks around her arms. I thanked her, and looked quickly away after she covered them up quickly again._

* * *

**A.N.-**_** Hey! Reviews are the best crack there is! Just sayin'! ;)**_


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N.-**_** Thanks for the love on this story! You are all so great! Hope you like it! Send me love! See you at the bottom! ;)**_

_Disclaimer: In case I haven't said... I own none of it. Sadly_...

* * *

Chapter Three

The silence was deafening. She could hear others outside the room, a low hum of activity outside the four walls she was currently in. It had been a half hour since she last saw someone, and that was the female guard coming in to take her to the bathroom. The past few hours though, she felt as if she was being watched, which was obvious that someone was behind those glass mirrors, but she felt like something bad was going to happen. She just knew it.

Sighing, she saw that the female officer had set up the room, with a video camera, and her files, along with a voice recorder. Well that was telling, she thought. She thought about calling a lawyer, but why do that when she has no idea why they even called her in? Well, she had a pretty strong guess. She was far from innocent, but still she had no idea what they knew.

Since no one was coming in yet, she figured she'd peek at her folder. Worst case scenario was that the person who was watching her would come in now to stop her (or so she'd hoped) or they would let her see what they know about her.

Reaching over, she grabbed the file, and had a sly smile. She opened it, but didn't look in it yet. "Buzz! I'm going through all your private stuff! You better come out and pound me!" she yelled into the empty space in front of her. It was a quote from the movie _Home Alone_, and she found it quite fitting for this moment. She was in a pretty bad situation, but she found humor in the weirdest of places throughout her life, so how is now any different?

Giggling, she looked down at her file. She only had enough time to see some charges they had on her, and she gasped as the door handle jiggled, and her world stood still.

* * *

_Penelope POV_

_Aaron focused on basketball now that the football season was over, while I did quite a bit of swimming. There wasn't a competition for our age group but would be in a couple of years. Sean filled his days gaming, and found some soccer friends, but we hung out almost every day._

_Eighth grade was the same essentially as the previous year, but our teachers had taken note of how well we were all doing academically. They gave us challenging classes, but we turned out to be quite bored. Well, except for Aaron. Not only did he like his classes, he actually studied a lot and really applied himself._

_Summer came, and it was right before we would enter high school. Sean and Aaron were much more popular than I was, but I was able to hold my own. I ended up being one of those kids who were friends with everyone in all groups. _

_Sean had been invited to a lot of parties, and some Aaron was invited to, as well (at least from what I could tell, because Aaron never liked being away from Sean in a dangerous situation, so it was a safe bet that if Sean went, so would Aaron). They had been pretty tame parties, a couple of make out parties, and some had drinking, but nothing worse than that._

_Our friendship was strong, which had brought such a comfort to me. Aaron had been hanging out with other kids that we knew, and about once a week he'd hang out with us. Our families had gotten together a few times to celebrate a holiday, and our mother's __instantly clicked. They couldn't have been any more different, but they had a great time together, drinking some wine and handing out appetizers._

_Ninth grade started, and we were terrified to start a new school and being at the bottom of the totem pole. But Sean and Aaron transitioned beautifully, which was no surprise. What was great that year was that Sean and I hung out as usual, but we noticed Aaron spending a little more time than he used to with us. All in all it was a great year._

_We all made it on the Honor Roll, and in early May we were all called down to the principal's office. I wasn't nervous, but the boys sure were. They had a disgusting way of looking entirely too innocent when it came to teachers, though, so I didn't know what they were so afraid of._

_They called us in, and they had been aware that we were all really good friends. At first, they honestly thought we copied off one another, but after testing us carefully, they deduced we were being held back and that we should all be in our senior year._

_We thought it was a joke until our parents were called. So, after thinking it over, we all took a leap and that following that summer, we became seniors. It was amazing and terrifying. Also, totally awkward if I was being honest. I was fifteen, going to be sixteen in four months and I was sitting in a class with a guy that had a goatee._

_Aaron blended just as seamlessly as a senior, already put on the varsity team even though he was benched at first, and the team took him almost as a make-shift brother on the team. Sean did well, focusing on his studies since the classes were much more challenging than they used to be. He always managed to find the time to hit up the parties on the weekends. Dragging me along, I went with him to watch over him. He didn't seem to get the concept that there was a possible limit when it came to drinking._

_One night, I came over to do some homework, and it got pretty late. Aaron put his books away, so I could admire him for a few moments without looking weird. He had changed so much from a couple short years ago. He was so tall, almost six foot, broad shoulders that were visible through his tight shirt. His raven locks were still short, but he had styled it more than he had before, with a small amount of cheek stubble that was more prominent than it had been before._

_His body was much more muscular now that he was in football. He gained fifteen pounds of muscle, and he seemed like he had something to prove. He was constantly working out, and he finally made first string as a running back. He was amazing, and any chance we got we were at the football games cheering him on._

_His eyes, still seemed cold and emotionless but his eyes never lied to me. I always found some hint of emotion crack through the surface. We weren't friends exactly, but it wasn't like he hated me, yet he always made sure to keep a width of distance between us. Which sucked. I knew he cared about me as much as I cared about him because he had defended me when people talked behind my back, and every dance he always saved at least one dance for me. Even when he was dating Natalie Berg, when he had been dating her for three months. Besides, it was kind of hard to not spend time with him since his twin was my best friend._

_I was head over heels in love with Aaron Hotchner, and it never got any easier. Each time Sean had asked me who I was in love with, my mind would scream his name, but since I wasn't sure how he'd feel about it, I always lied and said no one. Sean had a different date every week, and I could never keep up with who he liked from one day to the next._

_Sean's new girl, Samantha or whatever, had studied with us. The usual Hotchner bed-time ran to eleven 'o clock even, and it was a few minutes past. I shrugged, and yawned, knowing full well I was going to have to crash there tonight. We didn't bother asking each other's parents anymore, which was a lot easier. Sean kissed Samantha goodnight, and threw me a pillow._

_Samantha went to the door, and tapped her foot, giving me a dirty look. "Well...?" Samantha questioned as she adjusted her backpack on her shoulder._

"_Well... what?" I asked, as I was thrown a shirt by Aaron to sleep in. My blush must have given me away, and Aaron looked at me with _a _coy smile and I swear his eyes trailed up and down my body but I must have been imagining it._

"_Aren't you leaving?" she questioned with narrowed eyes. I could see she was not happy I was staying there._

"_No. I'm crashing here tonight with my boys." Samantha gave me a dirty look as she walked to the door._

_Aaron sauntered over, and grabbed his usual pillow and blanket from the top of Sean's bed. Samantha waved as she left, and Sean waved with a goofy smile on his face._

"_You know what would be fun?" The guys looked at me, asking the question with their eyes. I bit my tongue, and grabbed my pillow. "Let's go to Aaron's room tonight!" I cheered. Sean's eyes lit up and grabbed his stuff as well. Aaron shook his head, and waved his hands for emphasis._

"_No way! Not happening!" Sean huffed and threw his pillow at Aaron. "Come on Aaron! You know you have the best TV, bunk beds and we have never got to sleep in there! Come one, let's go!"_

"_Not happening, Sean."_

"_I'll do your chores tomorrow." Aaron rolled his eyes and threw the pillow back at him._

"_Yeah, right. You still owe me a week's worth of chores."_

"_Okay, two weeks." Rolling his eyes, he didn't even dignify it with a response._

"_Month, take it or leave it, _Airhead_," he teased. Aaron narrowed his eyes, always hating the nickname, but looking in my direction, his eyes seemed to soften and he held my eyes for a few seconds longer. Looking back to Sean, he narrowed his eyes once again before his shoulders visibly relaxed._

"_I get top bunk!" he screamed, darting out of the room. I jumped in excitement, and grabbed my stuff. "Fine, you take bottom, G," he grumbled. Sean was used to getting his way, and he wasn't thrilled he had to give up his free time and get a shitty night's sleep on the floor._

_Walking into his room, it smelled like him. It was a navy room, that was a tiny bit larger than Sean's that had dark-stained bunk beds that lined across from the door. His room had an adjoining bathroom, that connected to Sean's room. One thing that struck me, was that there was very little personal effects in the room. As if he never really lived here. It was neat for a teenage boy, and everything perfectly in place, even a bible on his desk._

_It was apparent that Aaron slept in the top bunk, with his red duvet that had an iota of personality compared to the beige duvet on the bottom bunk. I sat down on the bottom one, and crossed my legs. My style had changed since seventh grade, that had turned to a more vintage feel._

_I went from wearing a t-shirt, overalls or jeans to a retro 1950s halter dress. It was an eclectic ensemble that switched from the forties or fifties, mixed with something that is modern, and I wore mostly dresses, now. There is just something so... feminine about them, and they accentuated all of my assets, which was perfect. I may had gotten teased a time or two over my choice of clothing, and I was also teased for my body, and while I wasn't fat, I had wide hips and large breasts, larger than most girls my age at the time, and large black framed glasses. The teasing that hurt the worst, however, was the school's disgust that I was best friend's with Sean and Aaron. It was always some new rumor running that I was with them both, or they only hung out with me because they felt sorry for me._

"_I almost forgot! I just got the new album! Check it out!" Sean yelled enthusiastically. He ran to Aaron's computer and turned the volume on high. I loved the song that played and from the looks on the boy's faces, they loved it too. Before we knew it, Sean and I were belting out the lyrics (albeit totally wrong and completely off-key) and Aaron was dancing in front of us._

_I couldn't stop staring at him, and I hoped he didn't notice. I swore I could hear his deepening voice vibrate against the walls, but every time I looked to see if he was singing, he wasn't. His voice has gotten a lot deeper since puberty, and it sent my hormones into overdrive. It was almost... comforting, hearing his deeper voice. We danced for a few more songs, and after we ate our weight in more junk food, we decided to sleep._

_Lying in bed, I borrowed a pair of Sean's pajama bottoms and one of Aaron's sleep t-shirts. It was huge on me, but I couldn't help but breathe in the detergent he used. It never affected me when I smelled Sean's clothing, which was weird, but I suppose that's because I wasn't in love with Sean._

_Sean took a sleeping pill, to help him from tossing and turning on the hard floor, and Aaron went to sleep right away in his bed. Shutting my eyes, I went right to sleep._

_A while later, I woke up and heard something. Looking around, I noticed Sean still asleep on the floor, and the lights were still off. Groaning I readjusted my bra, since I had been rolling and it moved sideways, and stretched my arms over my head. Feeling the urge to use the bathroom, I got up and peeked at Aaron._

_Except, when I glanced up, he wasn't there. Scanning around, he was absent from the room. Sighing, I went to the bathroom and noticed my throat was a little dry. Walking down the stairs, I shivered, the cold house stripping me of all my heat._

_I turned the corner and saw Aaron there. He was in the fridge, and looking around, it was clear he was alone. Not wanting to disturb him, I turned around to leave, when my hand knocked a Halloween skeleton that rested on the table over. He jumped, and I felt my heart smash against my chest. His eyes were filled with anger once he saw me._

_I winced, and chewed my lip. "Sorry! I was just coming down for some water. Are you alright?" Aaron turned back to the refrigerator, and I looked closer at his shirt. Without realizing it, I walked over and brought my hand up and gently ghosted over the bloody splotches on his thin white t-shirt._

_His chest was heaving, and he must not have noticed how close I got because he jumped away and shakily moved to the other end of the counter. He looked ashamed... and terrified._

"_Wh-What was that? Is that... blood...?" I could barely say it. I wanted to throw up. Tears pooled in my eyes, and I closed the distance. "Please, let me help?" I asked softly. He looked away and for a moment I didn't think he was going to, but he frowned, and lifted his shirt._

_There were marks all over his back, a lot were bloodied, but there were so many scars there as well. I gasped, and for a second I looked away, until I willed myself to get some balls, and grabbed some paper towels._

"_Come with me." I walked him back upstairs, and brought him to their adjoining bathroom. I checked Sean, and he was still asleep. "Do you want me to wake him, or should I grab someone for you?" He suddenly became alarmed, and grabbed my hand. I jumped, but I didn't free it from my grasp. His hands were shaking slightly, but his large hand fit perfectly into mine._

_He looked down to our adjoining hands and he lightly rubbed his thumb over mine, as if he was trying to reassure me. I couldn't wrap my mind around all this but I was pretty sure he needed reassurance more than I did. The hurt and fear in his eyes was something I never thought I'd see, and I wanted to snap the neck of whoever would hurt him._

_Knowing it wouldn't do any good to do that right now, I focused on Aaron, and tried to do whatever I could to make him better. His intense gaze moved from our hands clasped together to my shirt, well, _his_ shirt against my skin. Ever so slowly, he looked into my eyes, and he seemed so lost, I couldn't breathe. _

_Looking away, trying to focus, I squeezed his hand reassuringly before letting go, and grabbed the first aid kit. "Would you mind taking that off? I have to clean your... wounds," I frowned. This was too horrific. Sliding his shirt off slowly, he winced when the fabric grazed his wounds._

_Inspecting closely, I could see huge bruises splattered all across his sides and back. There was an indent in a lot of them, and it seemed to be the reason he was bleeding. Wiping a tear before he could see, I grabbed a hand towel and soaked it in warm water. "Aren't we going to wake Sean?" I asked. It was too sad and too lonely in that small bathroom._

"_No! He doesn't know. Well, he knows some, but not to this extent. Please, promise me you won't tell him! Or my mom!" he pleaded. Not desperate, but in a melancholy tone. "So is your dad the one who...?"_

"_Yes. It was my fault. My room is directly above theirs, and the music was too loud and we were horsing around. I knew better," he said blankly. Gasping, I covered my mouth and backed away. "What? I-I-It's my fault! If I didn't come today, or asked to go to your room maybe it wouldn't have-" I cried silently. I hated myself._

_Aaron shook his head, and looked at his own bruised arms and ribs. "No. You being here has made it tolerable, believe it or not. My father doesn't like to punish me as much when you are around, and Sean knows I have gotten hit, and there were times I couldn't protect him but you being here does. That fucking coward won't take the risk of someone outside the family finding out."_

_I thought about what he said. "Wait, I have rarely seen a scratch on Sean. Do you... Do you take his beatings as well?" I wondered. I knew Sean, and I knew his big mouth and loud personality. There was no way he had stayed out of the line of fire. Aaron looked away and I walked closer. I put my hand on his, and gave another reassuring squeeze. He looked at me, and shrugged._

"_Yes, he's my brother and that sick, disgusting son of a bitch of a father isn't going to touch him! I am almost out of here now. It's my senior year and then I'm getting out of this hell-hole! I will never have to see that bastard again!" he seethed. His muscular body was rippling in rage, and all I could do was comfort him. I wrapped my arm around his neck, near his hairline, away from his fresh wounds and rested my face against his bare chest._

_Hugging him tightly, he melted into my arms and I closed my eyes. I felt some tears slide against my shirt, and I waited for him to end the embrace. When he lifted his face, he quickly wiped the tears away, and I pretended I didn't see it. Before he fully pulled away, he looked between us, and pinched his moss green t-shirt I was wearing, rolling it between his finger. "I like this shirt on you," he murmured. I blushed, and looked to his pinched fingers. Of all the things I thought he would have said it certainly wasn't that._

_Before I knew it, he let go, and looked away for a minute. The usual blank face was back on, and I sighed. His intense gaze never left me, even when I was behind him, wiping the blood away and applying ointment, I could see and feel his eyes on me through the mirror. When I finished cleaning and bandaging his wounds, he went to his room and pulled out another shirt._

_When he put it on, he hissed at the pain, and walked back into the bathroom and helped clean up the garbage. "You need to tell the cops, Aaron. This is fucked up and if you don't tell them I will." He grumbled under his breath and shook his head. He gave me a pitying look and sighed. "You don't get it, do you? Do you know who my dad is? He is a prosecuting attorney, that rarely loses a case! How would I be able to convince them? I did this for my brother, and I am so close to leaving. I have worked so hard on my grades and now football so I could make sure I can leave this house. Just... trust, me, okay? Please?"_

_I took a shaky breath, and nodded, not trusting my voice. I didn't like this at all. I trusted Aaron, but I didn't trust Mr. Hotchner. I made a promise to myself that if it got worse I would call for them, because I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something were to happen to either of them. They were my family, no matter what._

_He smiled, relieved, and walked to the door. "I'll always be here for you, Aaron. You and Sean, always," I told him. He gave me a crooked grin and opened the bathroom door. We walked to the bed, and got in our separate beds._

_After lying there for I don't know how long, futilely trying to get the horrible images out of my mind I gazed at the clock and it was really late. Looking over, Sean was still out, and I could hear Aaron's breathing even out above me, and it relaxed me enough to go to sleep._

_After that night with Aaron, I avoided their father at all costs. It was too disgusting to even look at him, but I didn't want to throw suspicion. Sean had no idea I was avoiding his father, but Aaron could see it. After that, I noticed Aaron had been spending more time with Sean and I, and of course I loved it, but I couldn't help but feel he was there because I knew his secret. Which I know wasn't true, but what had changed?_

_We began applying to colleges, and looking through our choices, it was easy to see we all wanted to leave Colorado. I applied to a few Ivy Leagues schools, but I wasn't sure I wanted to go to them. Considering we were much younger than our fellow seniors, we were adjusting well. I learned to drive before I got my license, thanks to my brother, and when I was going to turn sixteen, my mother promised I could have my older brother's car. It was barely alive, but it was all I needed._

_Now that I was the only kid in the house, since my brothers all went off to college and moved out, it felt too lonely in our house. As much as I disliked Matthew Hotchner, Sean and Aaron's father, I ended up there most of the week. We were hitting up parties more and more, and I couldn't wait to leave that dumb town._

* * *

The door opened, and two agents walked in. They were both surprisingly incredibly beautiful. Like they were in a cop show and she was the nasty perp. One was a tall man with dark skin, the color of milk chocolate goodness and the other looked as if he was still in diapers, for crying out loud, yet he was very, very cute. And awkward. Yet he made it work. He was lanky, and looked as if he had no muscles whatsoever, and she wanted to tuck him into her pocket and feed him a cracker, he was so cute. The tall cup of cocoa had very short black hair, and a five o' clock shadow, with eyes that could make any girl swoon. He seemed apprehensive, and took a seat next to the boy with medium length, dirty blonde hair, and large innocent eyes. If she could describe them in a sentence she would say they resembled a nerdy surfer and sex personified.

She zeroed in on their tags, and she could see Sex was Agent Morgan, and Nerdy surfer's name was Agent Reid. She wasn't going to lie, she was terrified. She didn't want to go to prison, and she had a feeling this conversation was headed in that direction. Agent Morgan's face was unreadable and yet Agent Reid had a lazy smile on his face, and if she didn't see him staring into her hazel eyes she would have thought he was lost in his own thoughts, instead about to interrogate her.

Agent Morgan leaned over the table, and grabbed the file from her hands. She knew they were more than your average cop, so she buried the emotions that threatened her future, and with a deep breath, she felt the lock click into place.

"Hello, Ms. Garcia. I'm Agent Morgan and this is Agent Reid. We want to ask you some questions."

She smiled, and tilted her head slightly. "I didn't know I auditioned for Law and Order. I think you are a little too into character, there Agent Morgan. Maybe you should dial it back a few... like this cutie-patootie." She motioned to Agent Reid, who's demeanor was almost as if they were about to go to a fair, while Agent Morgan's pursed lips and unflinching gaze made her a little nervous. Yet she supposed that was the point.

Agent Morgan smiled coldly, and opened her folder. He peeked at her, before presenting some pictures in front of her. She knew exactly what the pictures were about, because she did them. She was involved if not the muse behind every one of these hacks. She kept her face blank, and shrugged.

"What is this?" she questioned, yet she already knew the answer. Agent Morgan smirked, and shook his head. "Your handiwork, your Majesty, what else?" he stated simply. If she hadn't seen the pictures in her face before she heard, "Your Majesty", she would have freaked out, but seeing the pictures she knew they knew who she really was, so she kept her face blank.

"I don't know what you're talking about, sweet cheeks."

Agent Morgan gave a brilliant smile, and it took her breath away. The man should not be stuck in a stuffy office and should be modeling underwear. Or maybe a full frontal spread of just socks.

"Actually," Agent Spencer started, "we have evidence you are responsible for hacking into that animal testing lab. That picture right there," he stated as he pointed to the picture that she already knew which one it was.

She shook her head and shrugged. "It wasn't me. Sorry."

She knew that it was going to be a long night.

* * *

_3__rd__ Person POV_

_Penelope's birthday was a week away, and Sean and Aaron had been planning a fantastic outing. Penelope walked inside and noticed Elena making dinner. "Would you like help, Mrs. Hotchner?" she asked. Elena lit up, and waved her over._

"_Come here, Penny. I want to show you how to make my top-secret macaroni and cheese! Here, start grating this cheese." She handed her the cheese and they got to work. Penelope loved Elena like a second mother, and she enjoyed helping her. When they finished, they called the family down and ate in the usual silence that their father insisted upon. She had once heard him say that he didn't come home from a long day of work just to hear screaming brats all night as well. If that were the case he may as well go back into court._

_When they finished, Penelope grabbed Sean's hand and ran to their backyard. They climbed up their tree house, one that Penelope decided it would be a perfect place to store their secrets, and they went in there often. Hearing something, they quieted down. Aaron opened the bottom latch, and climbed in._

"_Hey! I was just about to tell the most disgusting story ever! Okay, so..." he was cut short by Aaron waving. "Yeah, I can't wait, but Julie called and she is asking for you inside," Aaron said in a sing-song voice. Sean's eyes lit up, and a goofy grin enveloped his face. "Be right back, G. This is a matter of life and death," he said quickly, climbing down._

_Penelope giggled and rolled her eyes. She was used to it by now, so she knew he would be on the phone for a while. Aaron smiled, and sat near her. Penelope, suddenly keenly aware they were now alone, tucked a blonde lock behind her ear, and made sure her dress wasn't revealing too much. For some reason, whenever they were in the treehouse she seemed to forget she was in a dress. By now, she was positive Sean knew every kind of panties she owned, as embarrassing and gross as that was to admit._

"_I loved dinner. Thank you. You gonna make that for your family now?" he asked quietly. She nodded and turned toward him a little._

"_Yes. Your mom is an amazing cook, Aaron! By the way, I wanted to tell you I got accepted to my first choice school." Aaron, excited, held out his fist. She fist-bumped it and giggled. Her heart was thundering in her chest, and the way he had been looking at her lately sent shivers down her spine._

"_I got into mine too! Do you wanna say at the same time?" She blushed, and nodded in agreement. "Okay, one... two... three... go! University of Michigan!" she yelled. At the same time, Aaron gave a crooked grin and yelled on the top of his lungs, "U of M!" Penelope's eyes became saucers, not believing it. Yes, they have all talked about going, and even though Sean was hoping to go there, she always figured Aaron would go to some Ivy League school._

"_Hell yeah! We are gonna have the best time! What is Sean deciding? Is it U of M too?" Aaron shrugged, and leaned back against the wall. "As long as it ain't here, I don't care. Here, I got you something," he said bashfully._

_Getting to his feet, he opened one of the barely used cupboards and handed her the gift. It was poorly wrapped and the bow was on the bottom, but it was adorable. "Aww! Did you use the whole roll of wrapping paper or did you save enough for a Christmas present?" she snarked. He playfully rolled his eyes and laughed._

"_Yeah, yeah. You're welcome! Come on, open it!" It was a little large, and when she jiggled it, it felt like nothing was in there. Giving him a suspicious look, she ripped it open and looked inside. It was a blank piece of paper._

"_Gee whiz, Aaron. Please don't break the bank or anything..." she joked. He chewed his lip, smiling a little. Leaning over, he put his lips against her ear, brushing the small fake diamonds in her ears. "Bring it home and use your sonic screwdriver on it," he whispered near her ear. Her breath hitched, thinking how dirty that sounded for a moment before shaking herself out of it. This was Aaron they were talking about._

_Gazing into his intense eyes, she cocked an eyebrow, and nodded. Sean knew she had a sonic screwdriver from the Doctor Who series that had a black light on it for invisible ink. However, she couldn't recall Aaron knowing about it..._

_Her head was turned and Aaron was still close from whispering in her ear. She suddenly was very aware once again of how close they really had gotten. He licked his lips, and he didn't move away, which sent the butterflies that now officially inhabit her stomach doing gymnastics and back flips. His eyes darted from her lips to her eyes, and she moved her hand slightly, finding his. She fluttered her fingers on top of his, and when she didn't feel him flinch away she grabbed his hand._

_He slowly moved closer, turning into her body more. He moved their entwined fingers, so he was loosely holding them on his leg. Penelope was surprised at their position, but couldn't complain. His pink lips drifted so close, she could smell his breath was minty, but not too strong. When she thought he was just about to close the distance, they heard Sean climbing up the tree screaming, "I got her to say yes! Finally!", before they could even see him._

_He flinched away and she regretfully let go of Aaron's hand. Looking at her hands, she noticed she was shaking violently, and after putting the paper in her jacket, she gave a nervous glance at Aaron. He seemed annoyed, and he rubbed his hand that clasped hers and peeked at her. His smile was genuine, but his eyes darted to her lips before they heard the hatch open._

_When Sean rambled about his upcoming date, he gave her a quick look before making an excuse to leave. Sean watched him go, and turned to her. "What's his problem?" Penelope swallowed visibly, and shrugged. "I don't know. I should head out, anyways. I got to get home. My mom has been so bitchy lately, complaining I'm never home. See you tomorrow," she said. It was true, her mother had been getting more on her case since her last son left the nest._

_Sean said goodbye, and Penelope ran home, her heart flipping wildly. What just happened? If she didn't know better... No. No this was Aaron Hotchner! Yet those eyes... She had to know what he wrote, but she couldn't help but wonder if she is making more of it than it is. Either way, she'd know in a minute._

_Walking in, she greeted her cat, Stitch, and checked in with her mom. Her birthday was in a week, on a Tuesday, and they were going to go to a restaurant with Sean and Aaron to celebrate. As long as they didn't sing to her she was down for it._

_Going into her room, she locked her door, and got into her pj's, doing her nightly routine. When she laid down, she grabbed her sonic screwdriver and her notebook. She needed to know what he wrote, and so she settled into bed, hitting the button on her sonic screwdriver and began scrolling the invisible ink. _

-P-

Whenever I walk into a room, the first person I always look for is you. Yet when I see you, my heart stops. I hoped you didn't know this, but I have had a crush on you since fifth grade, when you threw mud all over Sarah Jacobson's dress for smacking that stray dog in the face that came up to everyone at recess. I sat in your spot that day in 7th grade, not realizing that I took your seat, but now I know I will never regret it, because it brought you into my life.

You're laugh is so infectious, and you're more amazing than you realize. I think you are the most beautiful girl I've ever met. When I am in the same room as you all I want to do is run up and kiss those gorgeous red lips.

This all may be cheesy and girly, but I can't keep my mouth shut anymore. You are more beautiful and unique than anyone I have ever met, and I am an absolute chicken when expressing myself. I love that you are oblivious when other guys flirt with you, and I like that you make me genuinely laugh, and I can be myself when I am near you.

It's better you know now, than to have never said anything. I don't know if you like me, but I was hoping you would like to go on a date tomorrow night? You can tell me tomorrow at lunch, and if you say no, I will never ask you again (Okay... I may not give up that easy, but you know what I mean). By the way, your other present (even if you say no) is in this clue. Go to school early tomorrow.

-A-

-In the library, there is a silver shell that glitters on a turtle's back-

_Biting her lip, she stared in shock, not believing it. She re-read it over and over for a half an hour, scrutinizing every word before she looked up again. "He has liked me? What? No, he can't mean that! If he's lying he is going to limp all through college!" she grumbled._

_The next morning, she rode her bike to school, her head spinning. Walking into the usual empty library, she first looked around for an obvious turtle lying around, and when she didn't see it, she sat for a minute, and took out the sheet of paper that she wrote the clue on. "In the library, there is a silver shell that glitters on a turtle's back..." Suddenly, it hit her where to look. She looked in the S's, and found a Shel Silverstein book, and she ran her finger along the spine, replaying a million memories in her head when she younger, this was one of her favorite books. She told him once that she loved that poem, but it was over three years ago and she only brought it up because she was leaving early to finish her book report on it._

_Opening it, it opened to the section that held her gift. It was a necklace of a turtle, that glittered in jewels. It was beautiful. Looking at the page it was opened to, it was her absolute favorite poem. It was called, "The Bagpipe Who Didn't Say No", and after giggling loudly in the silent library, she put her necklace on, and walked to the counter where an extremely old woman was there._

_She checked out the book and went to her locker. Opening it up, she tucked her answer to his question in the front of her backpack and grabbed the books for the next few classes that she had coming up._

_When lunch came, Sean said he would be over later, he had to finalize his date with Julie for that night, and so she walked shyly over to Aaron, who had been sitting with a couple of his jock friends. "Hey, can I sit down?" she asked, a deep blush covering her cheeks. Aaron gave her a crooked grin and glanced from her eyes to the necklace she wore._

"_Sure. Did you like your present, Penelope?" he asked quietly. The cafeteria was completely packed, and if felt like they were the only two in there. "Yes! Thank you, it's so beautiful! Obviously, besides my love for the turtle poem they are my favorite animal." She couldn't stop playing with the foreign necklace around her neck._

_She always liked jewelry, but she had a habit of playing with them and putting them down and forgetting about them because she was never used to wearing it. She loved rings, but she had to have lost over ten of them because she slipped them on and off her fingers so many times._

"_I'm glad. Emerald is a very nice color on you..." he trailed off, staring at her skin before bashfully looking away. She grinned, and grabbed her backpack._

"_Here. I answered your question. But first, I need to ask you some things before you read it, alright?" Suddenly serious, he nodded, waiting for her to go on._

"_Okay, so if I do happen to say no, would you hate me and never speak to me again?" she asked. He smiled and rolled his eyes, but she could see he was hurt a little, and she chewed her lip. "Of course I wouldn't hate you! My pride may take a beating but we are friends. Always."_

_She narrowed her eyes, and waited for him to fidget, and when he narrowed them playfully back, she giggled. "Okay... next question... oh, um say I say yes, and we date but we break up. Who gets Sean in the divorce?" Aaron, his serious face on again, nodded slowly. "That's a good point. Boys need their mothers, so I guess you? But I can have him on alternative weekends and holidays. Except I get him on his birthday. Non-negotiable, you know how it is..." she nodded, understanding._

"_Of course! Okay. But what if-" he cut her off, laughing. "Are we really going to go through every possible scenario or are we going to take a chance? I hope you know by now I would never hurt you. Sean would kill me, and then kill you for making him kill me," he smiled. She nodded, and Penelope couldn't help but worry what this would do to their friendship and more importantly, their lives._

_Worrying her bottom lip, Aaron grabbed her hand under the table, rubbing soothing circles into her skin. "So... what is your answer going to be?" She let go of her lip, and looked down at their hands. Letting go, she reluctantly reached into her backpack and pulled out the slip of paper._

_She handed it to him, and before she could see his reaction, Sean came over. "Hey guys. I'm going to that new yogurt shop with Julie tonight, want to come?" he asked them. Penelope looked at him, and shook her head, her throat was suddenly dry. Sean looked to Aaron, who shook his head quickly and abruptly got up from his seat, storming out of the cafeteria._

_Sean looked back to Garcia, confusion written all over his face. "What was that about?" Penelope, worried, shrugged in response. "I should go see if he's alright. I may have lied and said that his hair was sticking up," she lied. Getting up, Sean rolled his eyes and grabbed Aaron's lunch bag. "Figures. Now he'll be in the bathroom forever. The man needs to get laid... fast," he said as he stuffed his face in Aaron's sandwich._

_Throwing her food away, she wrung her hands, worried where he would be. It wasn't the reaction she was hoping for, but maybe after seeing her answer was yes, it made it clear to him that they shouldn't do this. Turning the corner, she was pulled into someone's chest._

_Squealing, she looked up to see Aaron, smiling the brightest grin she'd ever seen and he squeezed her and lifted her off the ground. Shocked, she laughed, and slapped his shoulder. "Put me down, you jerk! I thought you changed your mind!" he set her down, and cupped her rosy cheeks._

"_Never." Leaning down, he kissed her on the cheek, and held her, rocking their bodies a little. "I didn't want Sean to see my reaction, and if I stayed any longer I would have done that in the middle of the cafeteria." Letting go, she looked at the clock in the hallway. It was close to the next bell, and she smiled. "Well, I should go to my class. Where are we going for our first date?" she asked, still not believing it._

_He grinned mischievously and shook his head. "Nope. Not telling. I'll come get you at five!" With that, he strutted away, and Penelope couldn't help but feel giddy._

_Later that night, with Sean on his date, Aaron came to get her at five, exactly on time. Her parents were gone on their usual date night, so it was just Penelope answering the door. She didn't know what to wear, so she opted for a knee-length blue dress with a black cardigan and jacket. She wore heels, not unusual, but stilettos that she had bought a year ago and waited for this kind of occasion._

_Penelope grinned, and looked at Aaron. He was dressed nicely in dress khakis and a nice navy button down shirt. "Wow, Penelope. You look... stunning." She blushed, and looked away, and when she looked back he was staring so intensely into her hazel eyes, she felt woozy._

"_You don't look so bad yourself, handsome. Is this not a formal attire date?" she teased. He gave her a disgusted look, and walked her to the car, holding her hand. "Gross, Penelope. I wouldn't be caught dead in a suit and tie, thank you very much," he said indignantly. She laughed and played with her new necklace._

"_Well then... I see your job in the future will be of the uniform kind. Would you like fries with that?" He narrowed his eyes, and closed her car door before going around and climbing into his seat. Buckling his seat belt, he turned to her. "I could always be a wrestler. Or a surfer," he wagged his eyebrows and Penelope nodded._

"_Ooh! A porn star! Or better yet a fluffer!" she exclaimed, blushing. Aaron, confused, started to drive off. "What exactly is a fluffer?"_

"_Oh, sweetie... if you have to ask, you probably don't wanna know..." She said slyly. She knew Aaron enough that he wouldn't just let it go. It would fester in him until he will finally explode, and she decided to have her fun._

"_I want to know! Wait- would I even want to be a 'fluffer'?" he wondered, staring ahead, trying to figure it out. She held back a giggle, and shrugged. "Well I don't know. Depends on what makes ya happy..." she said nonchalantly._

_She looked at him, and she could see him still trying to figure it out, and knowing it wasn't exactly a great thing to talk about on a first date to the biggest crush of your existence, she decided to let it drop. _

_They went out, and Aaron had just gotten his license when he turned sixteen on November 1__st__, so they drove in his car. It wasn't an old car, by any means, but certainly not new. It was a Chevy Impala, and it was completely different from Sean's, who had a Ford Explorer, only two years old._

_Driving to a fancy restaurant, The Stone Lodge, they went inside. It was much more fancier than Penelope thought it would be. Aaron seemed fine with it, but Penelope felt slightly weird. She took a deep breath, and looked at the menu. After they ordered, they laughed about some of their best days hanging out with Sean, and even when the conversation came to a stop, it was quite comfortable._

_They were served their food, and they talked about themselves and some things they didn't know about each other, and talked about what their plans were going to be when they went to college. Aaron talked about his future, and all he was sure about was that he wanted to help people. Penelope loved that about him, and she couldn't agree more. It would be a perfect field of work to look into. She confessed she wanted to work on computers, and maybe design her own video games in the future._

_Aaron, after they finished eating, took care of the bill, and waved off her offer to help pay for the meal and they drove to the next place. They went to the movies, and when he paid for their tickets, they had a lot of time to talk before the movie was open._

_Walking to the concession stand, Aaron took out his wallet again. "No, Aaron! Please, I want to at least buy this. You've already spent so much, just please... let me do this?" she pouted a little. Aaron groaned, and reluctantly put his wallet away._

"_Like I can resist that... fine. What are your thoughts on sharing?" Excited, she pulled out her purse and they shared a medium popcorn and a medium soda. Penelope bought some junior mints, and waited for Aaron to grab a candy. She knew what he was going to pick, but she didn't want to presume._

"_I'll take some Reese's Pieces, please." When they grabbed their stuff, they sat a table that was near their movie, waiting for the previous show to be over. Luckily, it was only a few more minutes until they could get inside._

"_I can't wait to see this movie! I'm glad you asked me," she said. Aaron smiled, and grabbed her hand._

"_I'm glad you said yes. I wouldn't hate you but I'm not going to lie... it would have been a little awkward when you came over to see Sean," he winced. She agreed, and ate some popcorn. He grabbed some as well, and looked at the popcorn._

"_So, what is a fluffer?" Aaron questioned again. Forgetting for a second, she nodded, it was all coming back to her._

"_No way. Why don't you tell me what you think it is?" Aaron looked up, his fingers now steepled between his eyes and tapped them quickly together._

"_Fluff pillows for a living?" he asked, uncertainly. She giggled, and crossed her legs, his eyes caught the movement._

"_Nope, I heard it's much more... lucrative than that." She chewed her lip, trying to contain her laughter. Looking into her eyes, he gave her a sassy look, his eyes playfully narrowing before grinning._

"_Okay, after this you have to tell me. Is it... I don't know! Is it... like... when you get your hair done and get a 'blow out' or something?" he shrugged, completely giving up. _You're on the right track there, chief but still not it... this is too cute he's actually blushing! He is so adorable,_ she thought._

_She was about to tell him, even though she didn't feel comfortable saying it out loud in public, when the doors to the theater opened, allowing them to head inside._

_Getting in their seat, it wasn't too crowded, which was nice. They sat in the back, and they were thankful for the privacy. Aaron had practically been right when he danced with her on Halloween in 7__th__ grade and told her they had run off most of the boys away from her. She had been on a few dates since then, but a lot of them didn't feel comfortable with her relationship with the Hotchner brother's. It was never a choice and she would never give them up._

_Now, she had a few kisses under her belt, and not even with tongue, either, so that was as far as she had gone. She was positive Sean and Aaron had much more experience than her, which made her quite nervous. She didn't know if he was going to kiss her, but she kind of hoped he would._

_Some people started filing in, and Aaron kept glancing nervously to her, and the screen. Now that they were sitting next to each other, his nerves were kicking in. Trying to calm his nervousness, he leaned in._

"_So... if I may not want to be a fluffer, would I want to be the one fluffed?" he asked lowly. She cracked up, laughing so hard. Aaron grinned, loving her laugh. It was so infectious, and the excitement in her eyes made his stomach flip._

"_I suppose you would, but then again... I wonder if it all depends on who is fluffing?" she shrugged, smiling. He narrowed his eyes, and turned to face her._

"_If you don't tell me what it is... I will bring destruction upon you..." he threatened. She put her hands up in mock surrender and pretended to be afraid._

"_Okay, Penelope... don't say I didn't warn you." A few seconds later, he reached over, and tickled under her chin. She flinched back and squeaked, not expecting it. He used his other hand to tickle her stomach, knowing how ticklish she was. There were many times he saw Sean and Penelope tickle each other and he remembered where the spots were. She giggled, and tried to move away from his hands, but the limited area in the movie seat was all she had to work with._

_Finally, after a few more seconds, she couldn't take it anymore and held up her hands, really surrendering this time. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you!" she laughed. He stopped, and moved his hands back, but kept them out, showing her he would still attack if she lied._

_Leaning over, she crooked a finger, telling him to come closer. "A fluffer is someone behind the scenes who gets the real porn stars _ready_ for their performance..." she whispered against his ear. Covering his mouth, he looked at her, completely shocked._

"_What? Really?" he asked. She nodded, and rubbed her pointer, and middle finger against her thumb and winked. "No suits and the pay isn't bad... you know, as long as you can still hang on to your dignity," she smirked._

_Aaron thought for a second, and nodded. "Yeah, you know you may be on to something, there? Well, hmm... I don't know, I mean look at this mug. This beautiful face isn't meant for behind the scenes action." Aaron waved his hand, circling his face, emphasizing. She giggled, and threw popcorn at his face._

"_A face is all and good, but its your other... assets that get you to the big leagues, or the softer leagues" she smirked. Realizing she just talked about his junk on the first date, she looked down, mortified._

_He blushed, and looked away as well. Taking a drink of the soda, he took a shaky breath. Now that was all he could think about, and his nervousness came back tenfold. "Here's your candy," he breathed, trying to change the subject. She held out a shaky hand, and he gave her the Junior Mints. She blushed, and peeked up at him._

_Aaron's nervousness wouldn't dissipate, and all he could think about was her, and how beautiful she was, and what they had just talked about. Closing his eyes, he figured maybe focusing on food will help to focus._

_Grabbing his Reece's Pieces, he pinched the top of them and pulled bag apart, but it wouldn't open. Penelope stared at him, and silently ate some popcorn, and popped a junior mint in her mouth with it. He pulled again, and it wouldn't open._

"_You mix your junior mints with your popcorn?" he asked, smiling. She nodded. "Of course! They taste amazing together. Wanna try?" she asked, smiling. He wanted to, but first he needed to open the stupid bag._

_Penelope watched him try to pull it open again, but it wouldn't budge. She was about to ask him if he needed help, when it finally broke open, and they all went flying high into the air. The entire bag opened and Aaron turned bright red. The other people in the theater turned to them, and only a couple people had seen the actual event unfold, and the others who hadn't seen it, put it together when all of the Reece's Pieces rolled downward by their feet._

_Penelope hid her face, laughing uncontrollably. Aaron, laughed, even though he was embarrassed, redder than her lipstick, and got to his feet. "I'll be right back." She nodded and he came back a few minutes later, and had another bag of Reece's Pieces._

_Aaron sat back down, and even though still redder than the theater seats they were sitting in, he tried again. He pulled and pulled once again, and it was still difficult to open._

"_Why are these so hard to open today?" he asked, nervously. He really hoped it wouldn't happen again or else he'd die. Aaron tugged again, and the bag once again burst open, but luckily he was sort of expecting it, so he managed to save a fourth of them from flying out. Penelope bit her lip, trying her best not to laugh but she couldn't help it. Everyone was staring again and she could still hear them rolling down the aisles._

_Tears rolling down, she looked and Aaron was laughing just as hard, his face beet red. She reached over, and grabbed his hand, squeezing it. His laughter died and he ran his thumb along her hand, and brought it up to his lips, kissing her hand softly. She blushed, and looked down._

_The movie started, and Aaron let go of her hand, and draped it across the back of her seat. Moving closer, she leaned over and rested her head at the crook of his neck. They watched the comedy they went to see, but they could both feel the tension mounting._

_Normally, Penelope wouldn't care at all about kissing someone and she wouldn't even consider kissing on the first date. However, this is Aaron Hotchner we're talking about, and her crushing has been going on for three years solid. She wanted to kiss him, and kept thinking that maybe she should just go for it, but she wanted to see that look in his eyes. The one that says, "You are the only person I want to be with in the entire universe"._

_She felt his arm close tighter against her shoulder, and gave him the popcorn to hold. He ate some popcorn, and Penelope grabbed a junior mint, and gave him one. He gave her a questioning look, before reluctantly putting it in his mouth, followed by a few kernels of popcorn. Sifting it in his mouth, he looked down at her._

_Breaking from his grasp, she waited for the reaction she was hoping for. His crooked smile turned into a full blown grin, and nodded enthusiastically. Nodding as well, she stared at him with a sparkle in her eyes. Aaron swallowed the combination, and cupped her cheek. He waited for a few seconds, waiting for her to back out, and when she didn't, he leaned in, and gave her a searing kiss._

_Penelope felt her heart leap into her throat, and as much as she wanted to deepen the kiss, she was glad they didn't. She didn't want to be so girly but she swore she would have fainted if that happened._

_When the movie was over, and the credits started, they stood up. She leaned in, and pulled down his tall six foot two frame and kissed him on the lips. He wrapped his arms around her, and when they broke from the kiss, he kissed her on the cheek, yet lingered there for a minute._

_Walking out, he grabbed her hand, and they threw away their leftover food. When they walked into the lobby, they were broken out of their staring at each other when they heard a familiar voice. "Aaron? G.? What the fuck?"_

_Penelope looked over, and Sean was there with his girlfriend, Julie, staring at their intertwined hands like it was an alien latched onto their hands and melted their skin off. They both broke apart instantly, and awkwardly looked away. "What are you doing here?" Aaron asked uncomfortably._

_Sean growled, and looked at the both of them, and Penelope could see he was really angry. "What do you think? I am on a date! Like you two are, apparently, right? How long has this been going on behind my back?" he asked, with an accusing tone. Penelope furrowed her brows, not understanding his anger._

"_This was-is our first date." Aaron said, his stance defensive. Sean looked at his brother, and his rage was building. Julie looked at Sean, and wrapped an arm around his. He flinched away from her, and his blond, shaggy locks whipped around, looking at her._

"_Go in there! I will be there in a second," he snapped. Julie flinched, taken aback, and looked from the Hotchner's to Penelope and awkwardly walked off into the movie they just came from. Narrowing her eyes, Penelope was getting pissed. "Don't you ever talk to your girlfriend like that, Sean Joseph Hotchner! Go in there and apologize!" _

_Sean looked guilty for a second, until he looked at the couple again. "Do you even realize what this will do to all of us? Did you ever think this through or are you both so selfish you just don't give a fuck?! I will never forgive either of you! Go to hell!" he growled, low enough for them to hear but the others walking around couldn't hear it. After Sean stormed into the theater, Penelope stood there in shock. What was happening?_

_He had never been so angry at her before. Once he was angry for a day, but he told her he actually got over it after she left, he just watched a bunch of cartoon reruns and got sidetracked. She turned to go talk to him, when Aaron grabbed her wrist._

"_Just leave him to cool off. He will be better in the morning. I promise." Nodding, she shuffled out of the movie theater into the cold night air. It started snowing, and so Aaron clutched her arm tightly with his and walked her to the car._

_The drive home was tense, and they were too shocked to say a word. Walking her to her door, she opened the door and waved for him to come inside. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Your parents are gone tonight, right?" he asked, unsure. She smirked, and shrugged a shoulder in response._

"_I suppose they won't be back until after midnight. Why?" she teased. He seemed very nervous, but she knew he wouldn't pressure her until she was ready._

"_I had a great time, Penelope. Tonight was amazing and I was wondering... will you be my girlfriend?" he asked, eyes hopeful. Tears sprang in her eyes, and she wanted to say yes. Wanted to tell him she will always say yes, but she couldn't. If someone would have told her that Aaron Hotchner was going to ask to be her boyfriend and she'd turn him down, she would have died in laughter. Now all she wanted to do was be selfish and run into his arms and tell him yes._

_She walked into his arms, and he held her waist as she put her arms on his delicious chest. He grinned, and as soon as he really looked-_really looked_\- into her eyes, he frowned."I want that more than anything, Aaron. I want this, but not at the destruction of my friendships. I don't know why he acted that way, but if he can't be okay with this... I don't think we can go forward," she trembled, tears sprang into her eyes._

_Aaron nodded, but seemed upset. Coming closer, he kissed her on the forehead, and whispered, "This was the best date I've ever been on, Penelope." They rested their foreheads together, and relished the moment. If they never had another, they weren't going to waste this one._

_Taking a shaky breath, he intertwined their fingers, and he brought it up and kissed the top of her hand softly. Her breath hitched, and she wiped the tears that slipped down her cheek. He waved, and opened the car door. Heartbroken, she walked upstairs and took a shower, and cried herself to sleep. This was not how she imagined this night ending, and she was going to confront Sean tomorrow._

_Sean dodged her the rest of the week, and Aaron had said he had ignored him as well all week, not even staying in the same room as him. He wouldn't listen to anything they had to say. Penelope didn't understand, and she knew that no matter what, she would get her friendship back. The next day was school, and she was positive that she could get him to talk then._

_The next morning, she rode her bike to school and searched for Sean. When the bell rang, she couldn't keep her mind focused in class, and she asked to be excused. Walking to his class where he was supposed to be, she yelled his name over the teacher telling her to leave, but he wasn't there anyways. Annoyed, she got on her bike, and rode to his house._

_His mother, Elena let her in, and he walked to their rooms, and both were gone. Huffing, she looked outside and saw the latch was closed on the tree house. Narrowing her eyes, she ran outside and climbed up._

_Knocking, he didn't reply so she climbed inside. He was lying on his back in the tree house, not bothering to look at her. "What do you want, Garcia?" he asked, angry._

_Lying next to him, she stared blankly at the ceiling too. "I came to yell at you, and then cry it out. You?" she asked. He looked at her and rolled his eyes._

"_Please, Sean! Talk to me! What the hell was that about that night?"_

_Sean sat up, and ran a hand through his hair. "I was shocked and... hurt! I thought my best friend had been keeping this a secret from me and my own brother! I didn't even know you liked him!" he exclaimed._

_She frowned, and sat up as well. "I always have liked him, to be honest, and that was our first date, but I never thought he liked me like that. I would have just been happy being friends with him. Look, he got me this," she held up the necklace, and the little jewels inside sparkled when it hit the small amount of sun shining through the tiny window._

_Sean smiled, but she could still see he was upset. "It's nice. I just... I don't want to lose us, and now I won't know if you are coming over for me or to see him, you know? And what if you break up? Who would I side with? It's the worst since I can't decide bros before hos because he is my brother and you're my best friend!" he frowned. She rolled her eyes, and wrapped an arm around his shoulder._

"_Really? That's what you're worried about? You are my best-est-est friend! If I come over, I'd come over to see both of you, the same as before, dude. If you say no, I won't be with him. Your friendship is too important to me. I love you Sean!" Penelope said sadly. She meant every word, but saying she would give up Aaron was a little harder to say than she thought._

_Sean sighed, and rested his head on her shoulder, and she played with his hair like she always did. He seemed relieved, and nodded against her shoulder. "Okay. It is a trial basis! Got it?" he said grumbling. She smiled, knowing he was actually okay with it._ _"And don't worry. We already talked about who gets you if we break up," she grinned crookedly. Sean laughed, and visibly relaxed._

"_I need to go find Aaron and tell him. I told him we couldn't be together if you weren't okay with it." Suddenly, Sean jumped away from her. Confused, Penelope moved away to give him more room. Sean moved to the door and opened it. "Shit! We have to go now! I need to apologize!" He scurried out, and Penelope furrowed her brow. She didn't like where this was going..._

"_What do you mean, you have to apologize? What did you do?" she asked as they ran to his car. They drove out of the driveway and headed towards school._

"_I may have called him a, um... a 'home-wrecker' last night and punched him in the jaw," he winced. Penelope gasped, covering her mouth and after the initial shock wore off, she clenched her fists and growled._

"_You asshole! I can't believe you- you know what, no- I can believe it!" she huffed. If he wasn't driving, she would have slapped him for it._ _Instead she took her nails and pinched his arm._

"_Ow! G, that hurt! I couldn't help it, he was bugging me all week and I snapped!" he tried apologizing. They pulled up to school, and hunted down Aaron in Psychology. Knocking on the door, they made up a lie to get Aaron out, and seeing Aaron's purple and swollen jaw, she covered her mouth._

"_I'm sorry, Aaron. I felt really bad after I did that. Will you forgive me?" Aaron narrowed his eyes, and looked to Penelope, his eyes were more hurt than Penelope could take._

"_Whatever." Penelope walked up to him, and leaned up and ghosted her lips against his bruised jaw. Aaron's eyes wide, he didn't understand. She grabbed his hand, and he held it tightly. "I talked it over with Sean, and he thought we were keeping it from him, and he lashed out. We worked it out," she said softly._

_Grinning, he spun her around again, and when she yelled at him to put her down, he reluctantly listened. Leaning down, he pressed his lips against hers, and hugged her tightly. Sean cleared his throat, and waited for their attention._

"_Yeah... this is weird for me, so I need to take some time to adjust. It's pretty gross," He stuck his tongue out, and shuddered. Aaron shrugged, and held her hand, walking out to their cars. When Penelope got in Aaron's car, she buckled her seat belt, and smiled brightly at him._

"_So, you ready for your birthday, Penelope?" he grinned. Looking away, she felt content. Everything she ever dreamed of was happening, and she had never felt happier._

_The next day, it was her birthday. They all got together, and celebrated. She got her car for her birthday, and earlier that day she passed her driver's test, but when she got home that night, she didn't have a car. It turns out, it was a little worse than her brother had said and needed to have some work done. They would need more time than they thought._

_Aaron stayed longer, and had to withstand her brother's who came back for her birthday. They circled him like vultures, and each took a turn to threaten him in some horrible manner before the end of the night._

_Aaron seemed a little green by the end of the night, most would have run away, but he definitely didn't. Saying goodbye, he didn't want to kiss her with her brothers peeking behind the door, so he kissed her cheek and after saying "Happy Birthday, Penelope", he left._

_Aaron and Sean had decided that they would really celebrate that weekend. They were going to Donnie Groves' party that Friday night, then the next night go to a rave in Denver. She was really excited._

_When she went to the party, she got a little more drunk than she intended, but she had a great time. Fumbling in her house completely drunk, she got home thanks to a sober Aaron, luckily, but it wasn't good enough where her parents were concerned. They were livid saying she was so irresponsible, getting wasted and staying out way past her curfew._

"_You're grounded Penelope! You are going to stay home and you are not to go to the Hotchner's for a month!" her step-father, Rich had exclaimed. His face was beet-red, and the vein in his forehead was poking out, which was never a good sign._

"_I'm sorry! To be fair, though, I think that keeping me from the Hotchner's will hurt them more than it hurts me, here," she slurred. He brought her into her room, and she laid down, giggling uncontrollably._

_Her father was not pleased, and he walked to the doorway. "You aren't getting your car tomorrow, either! Have fun walking to school on Monday!" he yelled. Her mother said nothing, she just looked utterly disappointed, which pissed off Penelope._

_Her father slammed the door, and knowing there was nothing more to be said, she passed out. Waking up in the morning, she was hungover, her honey blonde hair was still in her previous up-do, and the makeup she wore was completely smudged across her face. Her breath smelled horrible and she needed her toothbrush immediately._

_Walking into the bathroom, she cleaned herself up, starting with her teeth and followed by a shower. Once she was out, her head was still pounding, but she felt more like herself. Changing into her "grounded clothes" which consisted of sweatpants and a Doctor Who t-shirt with a messy bun hairstyle, she shuffled downstairs._

_Her parents had made breakfast, and seeing her hungover granted her no sympathy. Sighing, she grabbed some breakfast and ate some, but she felt like she could throw up any minute. Glancing up from his paper, her step-father gave her the "look" before getting up. "I am leaving for work. I'll be back later tonight. Your mother is about to go to work soon, but you are still grounded! No Hotchner's, no phone, and no leaving the house. Got it?" Sighing, she nodded, and rolled her eyes._

_Rich walked over and kissed her hair before kissing his wife and leaving to go to work. Penelope's mother looked crestfallen, and remained quiet. After soaking the dishes, she grabbed her purse. "Okay, I am leaving. We will be back before dinner. Make sure to do your chores and I was hoping you could get dinner started. There is stuff to make a pizza in there. Sound good?" Penelope nodded, and shrugged._

"_Whatever. Bye," she said coldly. She couldn't believe she had to stay home on the day her friends had a party for her. She was really pissed, and wanted her mother out of her sight. Her mother frowned and looked away._

"_Love you Penelope. See you in a bit. If there is an emergency you can use the phone to call Daddy and me, okay?" Penelope was getting really annoyed, and gave her a quick nod before stomping into the living room._

_When her mother left, she worked on her chores, getting them out of the way. She did the dishes, vacuumed, swept and dusted. Some time after noon, the phone rang, and it was Sean and Aaron on the phone._

"_Hey, G! What ya doin'?" Penelope frowned, and sat down, taking a break. "I'm doing my chores, and I have to make dinner soon," she said. "No! That sucks! I wanted you to come over and get ready here!" Biting her lip, she felt her heart sink. She supposed she had to tell them about last night._

"_Do you need help, Penelope? We aren't doing anything right now. Hey! Knock it off, dick!" Aaron yelled. Penelope could hear the smack from Sean over the phone, and as much as she didn't like her new boyfriend to be hurt, she laughed. They were so weird._

"_No thanks, Aaron. I'm almost done. So where is the party again?" She knew she had to bring up last night but it was hard to do that when they seemed so excited._

"_It's gonna be great! We will be in Denver, in an old warehouse! The rave is gonna be amazing! I heard that there is gonna be the hottest DJ in Denver that is gonna make an appearance! Ooh! And a chimp!" Sean rambled, his voice went higher than usual._

_Smiling sadly, she sighed. "Sounds awesome! Listen, um... I can't make it tonight. My mom woke up and saw me last night. I'm grounded for a month, and I don't get my car yet," she grumbled. She knew not to bother asking about his random ramblings. Silence was heard over the phone, and Garcia felt her anger boil over. This sucked._

"_Really? Can't we talk to them? Wait... that may make it worse, huh?" Sean asked. Rolling her eyes, she smiled, but she was far from happy. "You think? Ugh! This is so stupid! I have been looking forward to this for a couple of weeks, and now I have to stay home and watch reruns of classic TV with my mom!" She snapped._

"_Do you want me to sneak into your bedroom to keep you company, Penelope?" Aaron asked, too innocently. Thank God he said that over the phone and not in person because she would have maroon cheeks for a week. That would be very enticing, but that is exactly why she would turn that down._

_Clearing her sudden frog in her throat, she was about to say something when Sean piped in. "Ew, Aaron. Look what you did! She is trying not to puke!" A giggle escaped and she covered her mouth._

"_Sorry, Penelope. I just meant..." Aaron said regrettably._

"_I know. And I would, but I think that it could get me more grounded if that were to happen," she hinted. Aaron laughed lightly, and there was a silence that followed for a few seconds._

"_Why? Why do you have to turn it gross! Ugh!" Sean whined. Aaron and Penelope laughed and this time she heard another loud smack, followed by Sean yelling this time._

"_So... I suppose we'll have to see you on Monday, then?" Aaron asked, disappointment lacing his tone. She bit her lip, and nodded, even though they couldn't see._

"_N-Yeah? No. Yes? No, you know what? It's my damn birthday party with you guys and I am not going to miss it! I'll be there! I'll meet you in the tree house at nine!" she said, determined. Sean cheered and Aaron, his usual quiet self, didn't cheer, but she heard another loud smack and this time it sounded like they high-fived each other._

"_Yeah! That's my girl! I love it when you get all naughty! This is gonna kick ass! We'll have ya back before like, I don't know... five? Six in the morning?" Sean asked casually._

"_Sean..." she warned._

"_Okay, okay! Like, maybe four thirty? Okay, ouch! Aaron! Okay like two? Sound good?" She smiled and agreed._

"_Okay. I got to go. See you then!" Hanging up, she got her stuff done as quickly as possible. She just finished the pizzas when her parents walked in. Eating in a strained silence, no one looked at her, and it made her more angry._

_Later, after her father cleaned the dishes, they sat down and watched reruns the rest of the night. Luckily, her parents were exhausted from work, so they wanted to be in bed early. It was eight thirty when they went to go to sleep, so Penelope went to her room to quietly get ready._

_Sneaking out the back door, she walked to Aaron and Sean's house to the back yard. Waiting in the tree house, they came out a little after nine, when their parents went to sleep. Aaron smiled, and hugged her when he came inside first. She blushed and made room for Sean to come up as well, covering herself with a blanket._

"_You look so beautiful in that dress," Aaron said lowly. His eyes roamed, from the top of her head to her high-heeled shoes. She was wearing a dress she had made herself with a red winter jacket over it. It was a pearly colored dress, that clung to her curves, and tulle puffed out at the hips, the dress stopping mid-thigh. Her hair was half-up, with soft curls cascading down, and her shoes were high-heels that were a bright red._

"_Thanks, so do you. I mean, you look handsome," she sputtered. Looking at Aaron, he was gorgeous. He had on a white hoodie, with jeans and his hair parted a little on the left side. His dark and haunting eyes were locked with hers, and his smile sent shivers down her spine._

_She heard a cough next to them, and she momentarily forgot about Sean. He was his usual handsome self, with a large white sweatshirt as well with a dark wash jeans and converse sneakers. His body had filled out, much more muscular now that he started soccer and swimming. His blonde shaggy hair was in his face, as it usually was, and his bright blue eyes made every girl in their class swoon, even though he was considerably younger._

"_Hey Sean. You look quite handsome as well," she smiled. He scoffed and shook his head. "What else is new, G? Hey! You ready to go? It's cold out here!" Getting up, Aaron crouched and offered a hand to Penelope._

"_Ladies first," Aaron murmured, letting her make her way through the cramped space to the latch. She smiled, grateful since she was wearing a dress. Climbing down after two boys was quite embarrassing, so she moved quickly down._

"_I'll say it again, G, I am still impressed you can get up and down this tree house in your heels. I couldn't do it," Sean called out, as she stepped down on the last board that was nailed to the tree. She laughed, remembering last year he took a pair of her shoes, because they fought over going to practice soccer with him. She didn't want to because her feet hurt from wearing high heels._

_He didn't believe her, and he said women make up that excuse for foot rubs. Grabbing her favorite pair, which he couldn't even fit in, they made a bet and walked around his house in them. When finally he walked out onto the grass, and almost sprained his ankle a few times, fumbling towards the tree house, he gave up._

_Needless to say, he humbly apologized. She told him that after a while they don't hurt very bad once you're used to them, but she just got that pair so she had to break them in. After handing them back and calling them "death traps", he went and asked for a foot rub. She smacked him and she went to the park so he could practice, and she could watch._

_Sean and Aaron made it down, and walked with her to the car. "That was the best bet I ever made, Sean. As long as we still have our date to get mani-pedis twice a month for the rest of our lives it's worth it."_

_Aaron froze, and looked at them. "Date? Wait, mani-pedis? Really?" Aaron smirked at his brother. Sean blushed deeply, and self-consciously shrugged._

"_I don't use colors! Besides, it's relaxing..." he grumbled. Aaron laughed hard, and clutched his stomach. Garcia smirked and walked up to the car door. They were using Aaron's car, and Aaron ran up, after wiping the tears from his eyes and opened the car door for her._

_She said thank you, and got in the passenger seat. Sean got in the back, and Aaron drove. Driving away, they had to pick up Sean's girlfriend on the way. It was a bit of a drive, but they sang songs and joked around until they got there._

_They partied that night, mostly dancing, and even though there were drugs and drinking all around, they refrained, since they were in an area they weren't comfortable in. Sean and she danced a few times, and they mostly just jumped around, holding hands and laughing. She glanced to where Aaron was and she could feel his eyes on her before she even found him. He watched as she danced with him, and she could see he was happy, yet his eyes were burning with such intensity she shuddered._

_Aaron danced with her all night, their bodies sweating from the packed crowds and their own tension building. Penelope grinded against Aaron, her arm draped over his neck, and rolled her hips. Aaron groaned quite a bit, and when she looked up into his eyes they were dark, and consuming. His hands stayed on her hips, but a few times he moved one of them to the underside of her breasts, and she could feel his bulge grinding against her, and she never felt so amazing. He looked at her as if she was the only one there, and even as women came up to him, he practically ignored them and hugged her from behind, kissing her neck. She had such an amazing time, and she loved that she was there with him. Consequences be damned._

_Around midnight, Aaron grabbed something to drink for the both of them, and they moved to the edge of the large warehouse. Their bodies were covered in a sheen of sweat, from the jumping and so many people there. "Thanks for tonight. If I get caught it may be a while until I see the light of day. This is so worth it, though, being here with you," she yelled in his ear over the music._

_He gave her a lop-sided grin, and grabbed her free hand. "I am just happy you are here, babe. There's nowhere else I'd rather be than here with my girlfriend," he said in her ear. She froze, and couldn't believe she actually heard him say "Girlfriend", again._

_Moving slowly away from her ear, his hot breath skated across her cheek, and lifting up his hand, he cupped her face more softly than she would have imagined. Pausing, and looking deeply into her eyes, she could see he was waiting for her to stop him, and she looked at his lips, and closed her eyes. His lips brushed against hers like a whisper, and she couldn't stand to be apart from him any longer. She closed the distance, and hearing Aaron gasp into her mouth brought on a confidence she wasn't aware she had._

_He pulled her tight against his body, and they were swaying to the music in the background. She honestly couldn't tell if it was slow or fast, considering how light-headed she was. She felt every inch of him, and it felt a little scary, but at the same time not nearly enough. He wrapped an arm around her back, resting his hand above her ass._

_She had never felt this way, and in the moment it was just them. Everything faded, every noise, color, smell, aside from him. He lightly grazed her bottom lip with his tongue, silently begging to enter, and she gasped this time into his mouth. He kissed her hungrily, and explored her tongue with his, barely taking a breath. It was everything Penelope dreamed of, and she felt like she was flying, she was so deliriously happy._

_He was assertive, yet not too dominating. When they broke apart, she saw a flash of lust fill his eyes before grinning down at her. Blushing, she took a deep breath to calm her frantic heartbeat. All too soon, the background came back into focus, the smells and colors whirled around, and the magic was gone._

_Looking away reluctantly, she saw Sean holding a couple of red cups in his hands, looking at them. Sean smiled, happy for them. Aaron followed where Penelope was looking, and he stared blankly at his brother. "Yeah. It's gonna take some time to get used to you eating her face, but I am not throwing up in my mouth anymore, so I guess that's a good start."_

_Penelope crinkled her nose in disgust, and wrapped her fingers around Aaron's hand. "Sean, don't be gross," Aaron said disapprovingly. Shrugging, he looked around and his girlfriend slid into his arms, holding tightly around his torso._

_Sean handed her the other drink in his hand, and kissed her temple. Aaron looked at the tiny group, and grinned brightly. "Come on! Let's party!" he screamed. Everyone shouted in earnest, and started dancing to the fast beats._

_They partied until three, and they knew they had to head back. It was a long trek, and they had to sneak back in the house, still. When they got back to the Hotchner's house, Aaron wanted to walk her back to the house._

_Declining, she said it would be fine, and that the less noise near the house the better chance she had to getting back with none the wiser. Biting her lip, she turned back and kissed him soundly on the lips, and waved goodbye to everyone. Sean paid no mind, making out with Julie in the back seat._

_Garcia hummed happily until she made it near the front of her house. This was the happiest day of her life so far, and she couldn't believe they were together. It felt like fate. Sneaking in, she climbed into bed and waited for a few minutes to see if her parents would come barging in. Luckily they didn't, so Garcia got up and got ready for sleep._

_She woke up earlier than she thought, it being near eight in the morning, and Penelope woke to the doorbell ringing non-stop. Grumbling, she got up and walked downstairs, and opened the door._

"_May I help... you...?" she faltered, seeing two policemen standing at her door. Her heart smashed violently against her chest, and she looked around. "Mom! Dad! The police are here!"_

"_May we come in, miss? What is your name?" Penelope chewed her lip, and hesitated._

"_Penelope Garcia. Is this about Jason? My mom will be down in a minute and she can sort this out." She said sweetly, fearing for her brother. It wasn't his first time involved with the police but she was pretty sure it was nothing too crazy. Her brother may have made mistakes but he was no idiot._

"_Miss-" he was cut off again by Penelope._

"_Sorry, she will just be a second. Mom! Hurry up!" she called up the stairs._

_The policemen looked at each other, and the silent one up until now, Officer Clairmont cleared his throat. "Miss Garcia. We came to let you know there has been an accident. May we come in?" Penelope gasped, and took an involuntary step back._

"_Accident? What accident? Is it one of my brothers?" she asked, her eyes blurring with un-shed tears. The policemen invited themselves in, and took off their hats. Penelope froze, and she looked away._

"_We found your parent's car in a ditch on the highway. A man driving a semi had been drunk driving and hit your parent's car. They passed away last night. We have to bring you down to the station, okay? We can't tell you how sorry we are for your loss," they said sincerely._

_Garcia looked up the stairs, confused. It didn't make sense, they were there last night, and went to sleep. Why would they have left? Suddenly, it dawned on her. Running up the stairs, she grabbed her cell phone. Looking at it, she had a few missed calls._

_Feeling tears silently run down her cheeks, that was all she felt at the moment. Checking the number, it was her mom. Gasping, she fell on her knees. The policemen ran upstairs and grabbed her phone, and escorted her into their vehicle._

_It turned out, her parents had found out that she snuck out, and went looking for her. Penelope was beside herself, taking all of the blame. Her brother's came to the city for the funeral, and along with the Hotchner's they buried her parent's into the cold ground. Aaron had comforted her as much as he could, and it helped, but when his arms were not around her she felt this deep ache, like a chunk of her heart had been cut out and nothing was able to take that pain away._

* * *

They interrogated her for hours, and she remained firm that she wasn't who they were looking for. She didn't know why she was fighting for her innocence so much. It's one thing to be a masked gunmen or bank robber, but being a hacker comes with issues. When you are a hacker, it is a sense of pride to leave a signature on your work, and you rarely get the anonymity a mask can bring, especially when you want to show the world you can change it for the better.

She had just got back from the bathroom, and Agent Morgan was momentarily in the other room, leaving her with Agent Reid. She was so tired, and if they didn't let her go in fifteen minutes, she was going to lawyer up.

"Penelope, I am going to be honest with you. I think what you did for those women was amazing. I am so glad they were investigated, and shut down. That was a great thing to do." Penelope looked down, and said nothing. She knew what she did was good, but what the problem was the gray area, and that was why she was there currently.

"I don't know what you are talking about!" she groaned. She was so tired. She can't remember the last time she slept. Suddenly, the door burst open, and her heart stopped.

A man burst through the doors, his eyes wild and so intense she would have dropped to her knees if she wasn't sitting down. From the corner of her eye, she saw Agent Morgan stroll in behind him, but didn't walk up to her. He walked to the far corner and stood there, crossing his arms.

The moment she saw him, however, she felt her heart rip out of her chest. His eyes were almost crazed, and his tie was hanging loosely around his neck, like he had been tugging on it for a while. He was almost the same as he was ten years ago, and it was like seeing a ghost. A ghost that she wished she could block out, but it was impossible to any other time, why should now be any different?

She wasn't dumb. She knew she would run into him eventually, but did it have to be when she is handcuffed to a table in an FBI interrogation room? If God was real, he had a sick sense of humor.

The man stood in front of her, while the cutie-patootie kid walked to Agent Morgan, and almost had the same exact posture. Like they were waiting for something. Now she really felt out of place, because another Adonis was right in front of her._ What are they putting in the water here_? she wondered.

She needed to distract herself, and it was easier to focus on them while she collected her thoughts. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, and tried to keep the tears at bay. She would not cry right now. Definitely later, but not now.

She held her breath as she looked up, and saw the only eyes that have ever captured her soul. "Hi, Penelope," the man said softly, and she felt a shiver run down her spine as she heard his silky tone and her name fall off his lips like he has said it to her every day.

"Hi, Aaron."

* * *

**A.N.- **_**Hello! Just saying I don't own Shel Silverstein nor do I own Home Alone. :(BTW if you aren't familiar with the poem, you can google it. That Google, man... anyways... Hope you liked it. Let me know what you think! BTW- I found out about "fluffers" because my ex turned into one! LMAO! the reeces pieces story is legit true. My Husband was so nervous on our first date it happened 3 times in a row not twice! Haha! I died. Anyways have a good one!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N.-** _**Hello! I am so sorry I neglected this story! I have most of the first half written on this one, so it could be that I'm two chapters ahead on this, but i am not exactly sure. Either way I promise I will definitely make this one a priority! Unless, of course, I get writer's block, but I'm sure that won't happen. Right? ;) Again, sorry for the wait. Can't wait to hear what you think! Send me love! I love you all to pieces! Thanks for taking the time to read my story!**_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing. *sniff*_

* * *

_What Could've Been_

Chapter Four

"It's been a long time," he breathed. Penelope looked at him, and her heart shattered. God, he was so beautiful. He always was, but age just added to it. How are men so amazing at that? He was so gorgeous before, and now she needed a tall drink of water just to make up from all of the saliva that had evaporated from her internal panting. Ugh. Seeing his warm, dark brown eyes staring into hers sent her stomach tightening. How she secretly wished she was there to see who he became today.

Seeing him again after all of this time, made her want to play with her necklace she was wearing. She did that when she was nervous or stressed, so she supposed it was a good thing to be shackled to a table, at the moment. The chain was chilly trailing down between her cleavage, and it was then that she realized she would have to part with it. She didn't know if she could, to be honest. It was the one thing she felt was still hers in this world.

His eyes were almost the same, but there was more pain in them than he used to have. He was still as tall as ever, and it was clear he still worked out, unlike her lazy ass. While she gained some weight in these past years, he seemed to just pack on the same weight in muscle. It made her want to puke and pant in equal measure. Stupid pretty man.

"It has. I'm sure you didn't call me here, however, to hang out like the old days. Did you miss me that much you had to arrest me... Agent Hotchner? A simple phone call would do," she winked. She remained calm and collected, but inside her heart was racing and the pain began to amplify. _Oh shit, _she thought_. Not the smirk. Don't do the-_

He smirked, for a moment, before his face turned to stone. A look that was very familiar when it came to the Hotchner's, but only in their father. It made her fists clench on top of the table, and she looked down.

"I wish I had seen you again under... _different _circumstances, G.,"

The term of endearment raised her hackles. He didn't get to use that. Not now, not ever. He never used that with her before, only Sean had ever used it. She didn't know what to make of it. Did he feel nothing for her anymore? Is that a bad thing? She didn't know. All she knew was that felt like a bucket of ice water dumped over her head. She now knows that he is to never to call her that. Not when he arrested her and certainly not because of the way they left things. She could see the two agents in the corner murmuring to each other, and she couldn't help but wonder if they knew about her? If they knew Aaron used to be with a felon?

"That isn't my name, Airhead. Not to you, anyway." Aaron gave her a withering scowl, and his eyes were becoming intense once again.

"What would you like me to call you?" he asked, genuinely curious. Garcia looked down, and cleared her throat. This wasn't right. None of this was right. She always imagined how she would see him again, since she knew it was only a matter of time. She was still best friends with Sean, after all, and they had an understanding that there was no talk of families, and certainly nothing about Aaron unless it was life or death. It was too painful how everything ended. Sean respected that, so he kept his word. At least to her, anyway.

She imagined reuniting him while standing under mistletoe at a Christmas party held by Sean who had casually seemed to forget to remind her that Aaron was going to show up, or maybe knocking on her door because he couldn't stand another minute without her. Every dream she had since it ended was to find their way back to each other in grandiose scenarios, or just a simple way. Hand-delivering an old letter, or when Sean had his first child, or when she rolled into town and their carts crashed into each other at the grocery store, or anything to see his smoldering gaze once again. Not like this. Not here. This was horrifying.

Aaron sighed, and pulled on his tie. When she looked up, she noticed his eyebrows furrowed and his jaw clenched tightly. A tell tale sign he was extremely exhausted. He rarely used to show any weakness, so she had always been keenly aware of subtle cues to figure him out.

Looking at his hand that pulled his tie, silver glinted brightly in the harsh light, and that's when she noticed it. His wedding ring, right there on his left ring finger. She looked away, and felt nauseous. She should have expected it, given how gorgeous he still was, it was only a matter of time, but she was lost in the way his eyes had focused on her. For a moment, when he first entered the cold and stagnant room, he looked at her like she was the only thing worth focusing on like he used to do every time he saw her. Like time had frozen after all of this time. Like he had been waiting for her as long as she had waited for him. But that was impossible. He had opportunities to call her. To go to her. Yet, when he finally saw her again it was being arrested for stuff that she did for the right reasons.

Now it all felt so wrong. Was this some ploy to get her to confess? Was she a joke to him? Both of their actions felt wrong. His hand went under the desk, and when she locked eyes she swore she saw desire shining in them. And just like that it was gone. Looking at that ring made her heart shrivel and dry out, crumbling away. She didn't want to look at him anymore. Too many painful memories. She missed him more than she realized, and tears welled in her eyes. Crying wouldn't do her any good, however, so she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, fighting the urge to leap into his arms and cry like she had done so many times before.

"I don't care what you call me, Aaron. I'm certainly not your wife anymore, so you can call me whatever the hell you want! I don't know what you think you have, but I can't be here anymore! I-I can't. I am getting a lawyer." She turned away, fighting the tears, when suddenly he stood up. He smashed his hands on the table, and she jumped, and found his eyes boring holes into her. She wanted to shrink away from his glare, wanted to apologize for whatever would have caused that type of reaction. That wasn't the Aaron she knew.

"Damn it, Penelope! We have proof it's you. It was you on the footage, and I know with every breath in my body it was you! You are looking at twenty years minimum, since your _partner_," Aaron sneered at the word, looking completely irate, "has everything pinned on you!" Penelope swallowed thickly, and shook her head. _Great_, she thought._ The love of my life is going to arrest me for life_.

* * *

_After the funeral, Penelope's brother's didn't know what to do. They were young and just starting out in life, and could barely function let alone take care of her as a guardian. Penelope had been spending the nights at Aaron's and Sean's house, and they kept her company and watched chick flicks with her to help get her mind off of it. Now that was love._

_Penelope could barely eat, let alone pay attention long enough to watch any movie. The thought of knowing she was responsible for her parent's death choked the life out of her. She was so stupid. So reckless. She didn't have to go, they could have went when the next one came or just not gone at all, but she wanted to be selfish, and defiant, and now she was paying for it. Sean and Aaron tried to console her, and do all they could to bring back their Penelope they knew and loved. They told her over and over that it wasn't her fault. Blame them, blame the drunk driver, blame fate or God, but not herself. It all fell on deaf ears._

_A couple weeks after their funeral, Penelope and all of the family members congregated at the Hotchner's house. Penelope assumed her brother's were going to sit down and fight over who was going to get custody of her. She wouldn't be eighteen for a couple of years, but she would be off to college at the end of summer. She wasn't really up for it, but she knew she better go down and veto at least one of the brother's choices. She loved her brother Daniel, but he reminded her too much of her mother, and that was the last thing she wanted right now. Not to mention he can barely cook water without burning the house down. Also, she didn't know what she was going to do. They all lived too far away, which meant she would have to give up everyone she loved to move away. It was enough to make her not want to live anymore. If she didn't have those boys within driving distance... she didn't know what she was going to do._

_When she walked in, her brother's waited on the side of the wall, and they had gloomy faces, some of them were even crying. They didn't even cry at the funeral. Surprised, she looked around, and Sean and Aaron were looking at her with sympathy, but didn't come to her. Chewing her lip, she jumped, suddenly feeling someone touch her shoulders. Looking behind her, she relaxed, seeing Elena Hotchner smile reassuringly at her._

"_Penelope, sweetie? Can we discuss something with you in the other room, please?" Elena asked sweetly. Confused on who she would be actually talking to, she nodded and gave her a small smile and nodded._

_Leading her down to the den, there was just Matthew, Sean's and Aaron's father in the room. Her body tensed, and now when she looked at him all she could see was the pain on Aaron's face. She hated this man. The sinewy man was seated at his desk, nursing the umpteenth whiskey in his hand, she was sure. Usually, this time of night was when he seemed to be loose, and a little dangerous, but the closer she looked, she realized that wasn't the case tonight. He was calm, and controlled, and his eyes weren't bloodshot, which is a normal look for the man during the day, but at night? Not so much._

_Elena had her take a seat by the fireplace, and she was glad she wasn't directly in front of him. When she sat down, Aaron and Sean stood by the door, and looked over at her. Aaron gave nothing away in his face, looking blankly ahead. A usual look when they were in his father's presence. Sean gave her a small lop-sided grin and clasped his hands behind his back._

_Elena stood near her, and she seemed to not find the words. "We asked you in here, Penelope, because we went over your parent's will. You know that Mr. Hotchner is a lawyer, and he had done your parent's will a little before they happened to... pass." Penelope didn't want to look over at him in recognition, she just wanted her to get to the damn point._

"_Well, you know your mother and I had grown closer since you had started coming over, and..." she faltered, wiping some tears on her face with her trembling hand. Mr. Hotchner got to his feet abruptly and walked over._

_Penelope tensed, and when he got near them, he forcibly moved Elena out of the way so he was near Penelope. Looking into his eyes, she saw the inscrutable face that Aaron held so often. "Honestly Elena. Stop whining and clean up your face!" he snapped, anger flashing in his eyes. He was handsome, and she could tell that when he was younger he must have been the one every girl in town flocked to, before his temper and drinking got in the way._

_She grabbed a tissue, and held up a hand to him, letting him know that she could do it. Mr. Hotchner narrowed his eyes, slightly before going to sit back down. As Mr. Hotchner sat down, he shook his head. "Blubbering fool..." he muttered, and Elena tensed, and dabbed her eyes. Taking a few deep breaths, she calmed herself down enough to speak._

"_Your parents were so proud of you when you jumped up to being a senior this year. They had a life insurance policy in place for all of the children, and you will get yours for college. The thing is, however, where you will go. I'm sure you want to go with one of your brother's but I have to let you know, that your parents asked us if we would take you in. Your brother's do want you, but your parent's wanted you to stay in the same school, and wanted you to have some normalcy in your life. If you went with one of them, you would have to move away. Your closest brother, Jason, can't take you since he lives in the dorm, still. Daniel lives the closest beyond that and he is a thousand miles away, honey. So what we are asking is, would you like to live here?"_

_Penelope was numb, listening to her speak, and it felt like she was speaking in a foreign language or something. Looking at her, she seemed sincere, but she couldn't imagine living in that house with them. Yes, she did spend most of her time there, but now that Aaron and her were dating, everything was different. Sean was her brother, and Elena felt like a second mom, but could she really live with someone like Mr. Hotchner knowing what she knew now?_

_She loved her brothers, but she knew that it would never work living with one of them. They lived too far away for her to remain at the same school, and they could barely take care of themselves. No doubt the boys did end up getting some money in the will, but she wouldn't be surprised if they just went and bought bulk Pizza Pockets and Mountain Dew with it._

_Living at the Hotchner's wouldn't be the best idea, but then again, it would only be for another eight months, max, and then she will be moving away to go to college in Michigan. With Sean and Aaron. Biting her lip, she looked over to Sean and Aaron, who tried to look casual, but she could see the excitement linger in their eyes._

_Mr. Hotchner looked cold and aloof, which was nothing new but you would think that he would have some feeling towards adding someone to the family, right? But he didn't have a single emotion crossing his features, and it sent chills down her spine. Sighing, she nodded. "Yes, I would like to live here, as long as everyone was fine with it," she said, scanning their faces once again._

_Sean and Aaron smiled identically, and ran over colliding with her. They hugged her tightly, and Elena laughed in earnest. Mr. Hotchner took another drink of whiskey, and looked down at some papers on his desk. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut._

_After talking with her brothers', they all wanted her to be happy, and they said they would visit every holiday. Her oldest brother, Zach, told her he was moving with his girlfriend, Melissa, to Florida. Apparently, he was saving up for an engagement ring. She was a beautiful woman, with cinnamon colored, almond shaped eyes, and small stature and tiny frame. Her raven-colored hair was straight to her shoulders, and she was so warm and sweet. Her family came from Japan, and she was born in the U.S.._

_They all had to go back to school and work, so after saying goodbye, they made arrangements to move her stuff in. The guest room was now to be hers, and since they were dating, there were no more sleep-overs in either of the rooms._

_The next six months were hard, for everyone involved. Penelope went to therapy, for about a week, until the therapist kept harping about her unusual relationship with Sean, and how he thought Sean was in love with her. She laughed, and told him when she got home, and Sean looked grossed out. So did Aaron. Needless to say, she stopped going._

_A few months after the funeral, her brothers had long since left, and things had begun to feel normal. Well, as much as it could when her parents were gone. It was almost their curfew, and Penelope was changing into some pajamas after a long, hot shower. She was in the bathroom downstairs, since Sean and Aaron were using the other bathrooms upstairs. Penelope had on a short violet tank top and boy shorts that ended on her upper thigh. Since she was still uncomfortable being at their house, she wore a robe usually late at night or in the mornings._

_When she went to reach for it, she realized she had forgotten it. Groaning, she roped the hair tie one last time around her french braid and opened the door. Not wanting anyone to see her, she ran upstairs quickly, and right before she made it to her room, the door to the other bathroom opened._

_Aaron was standing there, with a towel around his waist, and some stray droplets of water he missed were sliding down his body. Penelope couldn't help but to gawk, and neither could Aaron. His eyes that were usually warm and kind, were then hooded and unwavering. She felt her stomach tighten, and for a moment all of her pain and guilt slipped away, and it was replaced with longing. She missed her old self. She missed having a life. She missed having a life with her boyfriend and her two best friends. She missed laughing without suddenly feeling guilty. It was then that she knew she needed to let it go. As much as she could, at least._

"_Hi."_

"_Hi."_

_Aaron gave her a crooked smile, and moved a tiny bit closer. "Aaron?" His eyes roamed across her body, and he looked like his control was about to slip. She loved how he made her feel. Like she was the only person in the room. Except that time, she was._

"_Yes?" he asked, his voice deep._

_She drank in his toned, muscular chest. The small trail of hair on his chest, like an arrow pointing south past his navel. How his breathing picked up a little more than it had before. The droplets cascading down, lower and lower until they disappeared under the towel on his hips._

"_Like what you see?" he asked. He already knew the answer. He had said it plenty of times to her, and she always said something innocent, or she would use humor as an escape from the question._

"_Yes," she breathed. Her breathing picked up, and her hard nipples were poking out of her tight top. Large breasts tightly pressed against the short tank top, her hard nipples were poking through the shirt, now enhanced by her quick breathing. Her eyes trailed along his body, and she left white-hot flames in her wake. He suppressed a groan, and watched as she licked her dry lips, staring directly where his towel was._

_He took a step forward, and she angled herself closer to the wall as he did so. Since the accident they rarely touched. The most she would take from him was cuddling while they watched a movie, or if she had a bad dream, she would wake and walk into the kitchen, where he would finish his homework late at night, or have a snack. If they kissed, it was soft and quick pecks. Nothing close to the kisses they used to share. There were few before the accident but how they kissed used to leave earthquakes in their wake._

"_What do you like, baby?" Her breath hitched at his words, they were oozing in confidence. A crooked smile just for her, and as he closed the distance, she gently placed her hands on his hard body. He closed his eyes, enjoying her light touches. He missed her so much he could barely breathe. He wanted her so much it was all he could think about. He wanted to be there for her, but it had been hard to keep his distance. To not kiss her or hold her the way he wished he could, to not make her smile all of these months or laugh had been torturous._

"_What isn't there to like?" He didn't let her have time to take a breath before he crashed his lips to hers. The smell of mint invaded her senses, and his tongue swiped her bottom lip softer than she thought it would, considering how desperate the kiss was._

_Without a second thought, she parted her pink lips, and whimpered as he explored her mouth. God, she missed this. Missed him. His strong arms wrapped around her tightly, her breasts pushed tightly against his chest. "I miss you so much, Penelope."_

_She ran her fingers through his hair, and kissed him with everything she had. She needed him so much. His hands moved from her hips, upwards, and brushed against her heavy mounds. She gasped as his hands moved lower again, and as he was about to grab her ass, her hands slid down the hard planes of his ab muscles. "What do you think you are doing in my house?" they heard screamed behind them. Jumping apart, Aaron hooked his finger with her own, and guided her a little back behind him as his father stomped closer._

"_Aren't you supposed to be in your room, boy?" Aaron didn't want to leave. He didn't trust his father, and she mattered more than anything to him. Yet it could only get worse. He turned to her, and as a small act of defiance he knew he would pay for later, he leaned down and kissed her cheek with a ghost of his lips._

"_Get some sleep, Penelope." Aaron squared his shoulders, and walked to his room across the hall._

"_Goodnight, Mr. Hotchner." Before Penelope could take a step forward, Mr. Hotchner closed the distance between them. She wasn't expecting it, since he had never really come near her._

_Her breath hitched, and her nerves amplified with every second. "I will not keep a slut under my roof. So help me, you will regret it if you whore your way into his bed! You will not sully his life and future, do you understand me? One wrong move and you will be thrown on the streets with nothing but the clothes on your back!" he hissed._

_His cold eyes locked on hers, and she bit her cheek to stop the smirk from coming out. He couldn't send her out on the streets, and not to mention penniless. She had her parent's money, after all. Still, she didn't want to upset anyone since she was still trying to move forward._

_Before she could even think of a response to that random statement, he stormed off, into his own room. She crossed her arms, and walked to her room. When she laid down, she heard a knock on the door. It was so soft she thought she imagined it._

_Aaron peeked his head in, and relief washed over him. Running to her, he hugged her tightly, stroking her golden locks. His heart was thundering out of his chest, knowing something horrible could have happened. Letting her go, he scanned her, taking in every millimeter of flesh, hoping his worst fear hadn't happened._

_Cradling her head, he swallowed thickly. "Are you alright? Did he-?" she cut him off with a shake of her head. "No, I'm fine. He just wanted to tell me to keep my hands to myself, in not so kind words." she smiled._

_Aaron's eyes darkened, and his face became as stoic as the day she met him. "My father isn't one to threaten for no reason. I don't want to get you hurt, Leannan."_

_She smiled at him, loving to hear how much he cared. She was so lucky to have him in her life. "I admit, he scares me, but I don't care. You are all I need. Sean too, of course." She thought that would put a relieved smile on his face, but that wasn't the case. His eyes stayed as guarded and as cold as ever._

"_If-If we stop this now, before you get hurt, then maybe we can be together once we are far away from here. If he ever hurt you because of me, I..." he trailed off, looking down. It was then that his eyes shut tightly. He didn't want to do this, to break up with her. He just got her, for fuck's sake. Anything but this, but what choice did he have? He couldn't control how he felt about her. The way he felt about her in such a short period of time was something he never expected. She was everything to him, and he would never let anything happen to her._

_The shock was palpable, as was the pain in her eyes. She never hid how she felt, always displaying her heart on her sleeve. "What? You don't want to be with me?"_

"_Of course I do! I want you so much, you are all I think about! You are my best friend first and foremost and I'll be damned if I let that man touch you. Please, you are more important than my own happiness, Leannan," he pleaded._

"_Leannan?" she asked. She heard him say it a little here and there under his breath, but she thought she misheard him. Now she distinctly heard it twice._

_He blushed, but his small smile faded into one that seemed like a smirk. "It is Gaelic for lover."_

_She crashed her lips against his, and kissed him with everything she had. He groaned, and returned the sentiment, his breathing going ragged. If he didn't leave soon..._

"_I am not going anywhere, Aaron. I know you want to protect me, but I don't care. We are finally together, and if you want to be with me then nothing else matters. I can't keep away from you." She put her foot down, and Aaron reluctantly relented. He decided then that it was them against the world, and with Sean tagging along for the ride, they would fight to make it out of there. _

_Overtime, the guilt started to ebb about her parents, but a small amount hardened inside her heart, and she knew it would never really go away. But instead of getting wrapped up in that depressing fact, she knew she had to just let go. Move on and be free. Aaron and Penelope had grown closer, and four months after the funeral, they went on a date for the first time since the accident._

_He told her he loved her, and she knew she loved him too. Telling him was terrifying, but it was just as amazing. Sean had been dating someone for the last six months, which never happened before. He never dated anyone longer than a month, and he was really into her._

_Her name was Haley Brooks, and she had just moved there after Christmas break. She was the same age, but she wasn't a senior like them, she was a sophomore, since she was actually the normal one and stayed in her year. Her blonde hair was short, almost a pixie cut, and her small frame made her look like a fairy. She was so adorable, and Penelope had never seen Sean so happy._

_Since Penelope had been there, Mr. Hotchner locked himself in his den most of the time. Which was fine for everyone involved. She didn't know if it was because she was constantly in the house or that he knew he couldn't control Aaron like he used to, but he seemed to leave Aaron alone for the most part. It had been rare that she saw a scratch on him, and she was so thankful. Not only for his reprieve from his father, but that she didn't have the constant guilt of whether or not she should call the cops every time she saw a mark._

_Aaron was doing well, and even though he didn't get a football scholarship, he managed to be valedictorian. His father wasn't very impressed, and was angry that he had to shell out money for his education instead of being proud that he was at the top of the Senior class. Aaron didn't even want his money, so he declined, and said he would take care of it himself. Of course, Mr. Hotchner couldn't have that, for appearances, so he told the boys their education was already set up in a trust fund._

_Later that day, when Mr. Hotchner went into his room, Elena came up after seeing everyone upset. She kissed Aaron on the forehead, and grabbed his hand. "Don't worry, darlings, it isn't your father's money. It was from my father, when you both were born." Feeling better about that, they could finally be relaxed about college._

_Penelope wanted to make sure she had little debt as possible, so she made sure to get as many scholarships as she could, and it worked. She ended up with half of her college already covered and she still had her money from her parents._

_Summer came, and they spent it mostly at the pool, which they had in their backyard, and made sure to enjoy their last few months before everything would change. Penelope's old house was still owned by the Garcia's, but no one lived in it. It was just a husk that was depleted of the love they used to fill it with, and now it was vacant aside from the gardener that the Hotchner's had hired to take care of the mowing and planting of the flowers._

_Penelope couldn't bring herself to be in there, so she asked for her clothes and toiletries to be delivered, so now living at the Hotchner's, she only had her electronics, and necessities. Aaron had been asking if she had wanted some things in there, but she refused. Too many memories._

_Now that Penelope and Aaron had been living together, their relationship progressed more quickly than they thought it would. Penelope hadn't had sex with him, but they had definitely came close a few times. She wasn't ready, and even though they had to stop, she was a tiny bit relieved, but on the other hand, disappointed. She did want him, and the look in his eyes was indication enough he felt the same way. His body felt so good, and sometimes she was the one to throw caution to the wind and have him right then and there, but Aaron had a touch more control than she did in those moments, which she was thankful for. He was so amazing._

_Still, she didn't want to rush, and they had all the time in the world. Just to make sure, she wanted to be prepared and went on birth control, and had Aaron buy a box of condoms. Every time she looked at the location in his room that held the condoms, she blushed a deep scarlet._

_Sean who had already lost his V-card few months ago, with Haley, had been MIA since the summer began. Ever since he had lost it, he had barely been around. It was cool, though. They caught up with each other at night or in the morning if he came in too late._

_Once they moved, Sean had the hardest time. He had really cared for Haley, but she was going to move with her parents to Texas at the end of summer to run their small, family-owned grocery store in town. He had missed her, and Penelope and Aaron couldn't do anything aside from being there for him._

_It was a month before they left college, and Sean had gone out with Haley on some special date before he had to leave. Penelope washed the dishes, and had went to her room to grab some laundry. Elena insisted on doing things like her laundry and cleaning, but Penelope didn't mind doing it herself, and she felt like she was helping in some small way._

_She walked by the den, when she heard Aaron and his father with the door closed. "What did I tell you, boy?" Mr. Hotchner screamed, and a loud smack filled the air. She heard Aaron grunt, and it felt as if the pain shot through her. She heard him punch him, and Aaron hissing in pain. "I'm sorry, sir," he ground out, but his voice sounded hollow._

"_You're sorry? Sorry? That's all you can say while you fornicate in my house under my roof! You think I didn't hear that whore in your room last night past curfew? What did I say, boy? What did I say? That whore will ruin all you're working for!" Penelope couldn't listen to his drunken lies anymore. It was bad enough she heard him go along with whatever he screamed, like some robot, but to be the reason he was hit tore her to pieces._

_Penelope couldn't stand this anymore. Something snapped within her. She didn't even realize she was opening the door until she saw Aaron on his knees, holding his head, trying to block the blows. Her eyes darted to Mr. Hotchner, who just saw her enter. Aaron hadn't noticed, his head still buried near the floor._

_Seeing the love of her life crumpled to the floor, defenseless, she saw red. She wanted to gut him, to make him suffer. Penelope ran at him, and she threw her hand back like she was going to punch him, and when he saw it coming, Mr. Hotchner grabbed her arm, stopping it from moving forward. She knew he would see it, so she did a move her brother's had taught her. Well okay, they may not have taught her, exactly. She witnessed them doing it whilst fighting each other. While he tried to force her arm downward, she closed the distance and kneed him. When her brothers had done it, they aimed for their stomachs. She didn't take into Mr. Hotchner's tall frame, so instead of kneeing his stomach, she cracked him in the nuts._

_He keeled over, but kept his grip against her arm. Suddenly, she felt a fist crack her in the jaw. She cried out, and fell to her knees. Mr. Hotchner seethed over her, and he raised a fist once again. She cringed, and moved over to be in front of Aaron, who watched with horror the scene in front of him._

_Tears spilled down his cheeks, shocked at what just happened. One minute he was getting beat, ignoring his father's stupid yammering when suddenly he heard a scuffle. Looking up, he saw her knee him, and his arm suddenly shooting out, punching his Penelope in the face. How did that happen? Where did she come from? His mind was hazy from the harsh hits, and suddenly, he heard his father's booming voice once again. She leapt over to Aaron covering his body with hers, and shoved him, silently telling him to leave. "You ungrateful whore! This is my house! A house I let you live in and you dare to interfere?" Before his fist could come down, Aaron shot up like a bolt of lightning, and ran at his father._

_Fists flew, and Aaron was moving so fast, Penelope could barely register what was happening. Finally, she realized that Mr. Hotchner was on the ground, and Aaron took out a fire poker, holding it against his throat. "I fucking hate you! You are nothing to me! You are never going to touch any of us again! We are done!"_

_He turned around and grabbed Penelope's hand. He dragged them out the door and ran to his car. Penelope, in shock, clumsily got into the car with him. Aaron peeled out of the driveway and sped to her old house. Garcia felt her heart jolt out of her chest, and she quickly shook her head._

"_Aaron! Aaron? What-? No, not here, please!" she stuttered. He grabbed her hand once he parked and kissed it softly._

"_You don't have to go in, baby. I need something and I stored it in here. You aren't mad are you?" she shook her head, and took a deep breath._

"_How's your cheek?" Turning toward her, he cradled her face and tilted it, inspecting it to see the damage._

"_It's fine. It hurt, but it was worth it. I couldn't let him hurt you anymore." she told him. Her eyes welled with tears and Aaron leaned down for a kiss. It was deep and darker than they had before. Something that felt as if any moment she would be snatched out of his grasp._

"_I love you. I am so sorry he touched you. He will never touch any of us again. I swear, Leannan." Hugging her tightly, he ran into the house and after a couple of minutes, he ran back in the car._

"_So what are we going to do, Aaron?" Aaron's eyes were wild, almost frantic, calculating their options. Running a hand through his hair, he turned the car on, and drove._

_He parked in a parking lot across town, and turned to her. "Let's run."_

* * *

Penelope looked at Aaron, and she bit her lip closed to keep her from saying anything stupid. God, did she miss him. She missed their late night talks, she missed the smell of his natural scent. Not really the cologne, but how his body smelled right when he woke in the mornings. She missed how he snored softly after a long night of work, or how he absentmindedly reached for her hand when they walked to the market. She missed everything.

He ran his hands through his hair, and she could see how exhausted he really was. He stood up, and that's when she noticed the two cuties in the corner. They were worried. Did they know he married a criminal? Did he give them warning in advance? She assumed Aaron had told them, so could it have been love and care that these agents were showing to her ex-husband? As he turned toward them, he whispered to them, and they reluctantly nodded. Agent Morgan gave her a wink, and shut off the cameras before leaving with Agent Reid.

Now she was nervous. With those cameras off, they could do or say anything to her to break her. How easily she was about to now, she couldn't take much more. What made her the most nervous now, however, was that she was alone. Alone with Aaron, her only love.

"You look good." He turned to her a little before turning back to the side of her. It was like he couldn't look at her. She had the opposite problem. For her, he was like a beacon, one that she couldn't stop staring at and if she looked away for a moment, he would disappear.

"Good? I'm in a shift, handcuffed to the table with no makeup on, Aaron. Not my best look," she smiled self-consciously.

She looked at his ring, and she felt her blood run cold again. "You look good, too. It's been-" he cut her off, looking at her. "Ten years. It's been ten years."

The hurt flashed in his eyes and just as suddenly, it was gone. Seeing the pain of someone you were once so close to shredded her insides. How she wished she could still run to him and hug him tight, whispering her sorry's and offering him comfort. That wasn't how it was meant to be, apparently.

He cleared his throat, and sat down. "Penelope, please. I know your work. I have seen your signature. Although the name is different than it used to be, Your Majesty," he tensed as he said her name, and wouldn't meet her eyes.

"I don't know what you mean." She watched as he rubbed his eyes, exasperated.

"Yes, you do, Penny. It's just us. No one is behind the mirror, and the cameras are off. Just you and me in here. Please. No more games."

She looked down, and she hated how affected she was by his pleading. At one time she would have given him anything, and she had. She had given him all of her, and it didn't matter in the end.

She couldn't speak, too afraid of saying the truth. She could never lie to him, at least for long. He growled, and took off his suit jacket. She couldn't help but look, watching his muscles ripple a little as he pressed his chest up to his shirt as he took off the coat.

After setting it on the table, she couldn't help but stare as his right fingers played with his ring, and she felt her heart pound in her ears. "I want to help you. I do, but you have to tell me. You have to come clean so this will all be over. You have two choices, Penelope. One is prison," he warned. He was intense, almost manic in his need to emphasize that horrible and terrifying word.

"The other one is that we are willing to help you. You come clean, give us your partner and everything you know, and we are willing to put a new offer on the table. Other than prison. Only if you are honest, Penelope." She was so confused. So her life was in his hands, but why is there even an option to help her? This didn't make sense.

"I don't understand- why would you help me? Why are you helping me-?"

Aaron smiled to himself, and looked down. "I made a promise. I promised you I would always protect you. I would never let anything bad happen to you."

* * *

"_Run?"_

_He nodded and grabbed her hand. How could he let her back in that house knowing it was too late? His father knew that she knew his dirty secret. He had no idea what his father was capable of, and why bother to go back?_

"_Yes, love. Tonight. Now."_

"_Baby, come on. We aren't even eighteen. They could drag us back in an instant." Aaron's eyes darkened, and he shook his head._

"_I know how to stay buried. Trust me."_

_She scoffed, and rested her head on the head rest, her body now completely facing him. He frowned, seeing the lump on her cheek was even bigger than before. He didn't want to go back. He didn't know what he would do if he saw him right now. It took all the restraint in him not to kill him with that poker. He was so close, so close to finishing this once and for all._

"_I won't leave without you, but I can't stay there anymore. I can't. I can't take it anymore," he told her. His heart thundered in his chest, and Penelope's eyes softened._

_Grabbing his hand, she nodded. "I want to go with you, but how is this going to work?"_

_That was all he needed to hear. Smiling, he leaned in, and cupped the cheek that didn't have a bruise on it. "I have a plan. We go to college early, and use some cash I've been storing away for a cheap hotel, or hell, sleep in the car. I don't care. Whatever we can do until the dorms open. I have more than enough to leave, and maybe we can take a road trip. I have never been more serious in my entire life. I never want to see him again. You, me, Sean... isn't that what we've been waiting for? To leave this hell-hole? There is nothing for us here."_

_She grimaced, and looked down. "Your mother, but yes, I suppose you're right. I mean, Sean doesn't even know about any of this. Are we sure that he'd even come with us? Leaving parents, that is hard, no matter the circumstance. What if he wanted to stay? Would you change your mind then?" she asked. She would gladly run away with him, but she wanted to know exactly what the plan would be before she agreed. If they do this, there was no going back._

_He frowned, and looked down, thinking over what she said. She was right. There was always the possibility of Sean staying. Aaron couldn't, though. He loved his brother, more than anything, but he couldn't. He felt something lately, like this hollowed part of his soul, that was slowly filling with hatred, like tar and oil oozing, beginning to taint every aspect of his life, and he couldn't do it anymore. Seeing his father ruin her beautiful skin was something so horrific, he wanted to throw up. It made him ache in his chest just remembering the sound..._

"_We'll see what he says, but I don't think I can go back."_

"_If he doesn't come, I am calling the cops, like I should have done a couple years ago," she said, her guilt amplifying as she saw the anguish at the thought of his brother may not join them. Sean is going to be so pissed, but she had a feeling it would be mostly at her._

"_Let's see what Sean has to say."_

_They called him on his cell, and he got there ten minutes later. Sean noticed her bruise, and cradled her face in his hands. Sean was used to seeing bruises on Aaron, but he always thought they were from some sport he was in, or getting in trouble with their father once in a while. Not like this. They told him everything, and Sean's tears soaked into his sleeve._

"_Why didn't you tell me, Aaron? I knew his drinking made him angry, but fuck! Why couldn't you tell me!" he screamed at him. Penelope couldn't control her tears, seeing how much they were both hurting. _

"_I couldn't! I did this all to protect us! To protect you! You have so many things going for you, Sean, and I know the toll this pain takes on me. I could never imagine that on you. You would never be the person you are now and I do not regret this. I wanted a life for you! You're my brother, damn it!" Aaron cried. His good intentions were being thrown in his face, and he knew he should have told him, but he loved Sean's innocence, his positivity and the fun personality he had. He would never take that away from him._

_The anger melted away, and all Aaron could see was pain remaining in his cobalt eyes. "I'm so sorry, Aaron. I should have looked harder. I thought maybe as we got older, Dad drank and just hid in his room. I didn't think-" he winced, and grabbed Aaron by his shirt. He forced him into a hug, and Aaron embraced him, clutching to him as he cried._

"_I'm sorry, man. I'm so sorry," Sean whispered on his shoulder. Penelope wanted to look away, to give them privacy, but she couldn't. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks, and she covered her face. She loved those boys so much, she was really lucky to have them._

_When they let go, Sean turned to her. His anger was back, but seeing how much Penelope was crying, Sean gathered her into his arms. "You should have told me, G."_

_She clutched him just as hard, and she nodded. "I know."_

_Aaron wiped his tears on his hands, and took a step forward. "Don't be angry at her, Sean. She only did what I promised. I made her, she was only just being a friend to me when I needed one."_

_Sean grumbled, and swayed her back and forth as he held her. "I know. Why do you have to be so freaking awesome, G.? Thank you for being there for him. But you better squeal next time something like this happens. Got it?" She laughed, her nose stuffed from crying and nodded into his hard chest._

"_So are we going to the cops? Are we killing him? I vote for killing, or hacking some limbs off." Sean asked them._

"_We have an idea."_

_Sean agreed to leave without a moments hesitation, and they grabbed supplies and hit the road. They decided to do a small road trip, heading through Wisconsin, then traveling north through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, then heading south down to lower Michigan to Ann Arbor, where the campuses were. When they had been in the car, and about to leave Colorado, they called their mother. They told them they were leaving, and weren't coming home. She begged them to come back, and suddenly Mr. Hotchner got on the phone._

_Screaming into the mouthpiece, he told them to get back now or they would be sorry. Aaron smirked, and told his father to check his cell phone. As he checked it, Aaron told him that he had taken pictures since he was a little kid. Every bruise, and every cut was secretly recorded, and along with the picture of Penelope's bruise, he would send those into the cops._

"_You wouldn't dare!" he seethed._

"_Try me. You don't ever lay your hands on the people I love again. That goes for Mom, too. If I see or hear that you have hurt her, I will turn those in. Got it?"_

_With that, he hung up, and they drove on. _

_In college, it was an amazing experience. They partied, but not too much, and although she was recruited to join some sororities, she didn't want to. She had a roommate in her dorm, who was alright. Her name was Megan James, and she was rarely there in the dorm. She lived really close, so she always went home to spend the night instead of coming back to a dorm that she had to share with someone she had never met._

_All in all, they had an amazing freshman year. Sean and Aaron had both been drilled and forced from an early age to become lawyers, so they focused their classes on that, while Penelope knew she wanted to work with computers, and she took any programming and design classes she could. Their jobs were awful, but they helped them pay for the things they needed. Penelope worked at a run-down, old-school library, Aaron worked at a local Pizzeria, and Sean worked at a gas station. _

_Penelope was about to turn eighteen soon, and Christmas eve was going to be a lot different that year. It was their sophomore year, and they had finally gotten into the groove of college life. They went back one random weekend to see Aaron's and Sean's mother in Colorado, and that had been the only time they had seen her since that night at the house. She wouldn't stop hugging them for an hour. They were meant to go back to Colorado for Christmas that year, but a blizzard tearing through the area left them stranded in Michigan. They were kind of glad, though, since none of them were really ready to see Mr. Hotchner. Her roommate never came back once winter break happened, so Sean, Aaron and Penelope celebrated on campus in her room._

_Sean, Aaron and Penelope went and grabbed a bottle of whiskey, and headed back to Penelope's dorm. Sean had started to really enjoy himself lately, going to a lot of fraternity parties and pretty much forgot about Haley, by finding the closest female around._

_That night they decided they were going to party with just the three of them, and open gifts Christmas morning. Later on, Aaron had a date planned with just the two of them, and Sean said he helped set up, before he got elbowed by Aaron for blabbing. Sean planned on having a party, and they would meet up again for it later. Penelope also knew a friend to introduce to Sean, who was sticking around campus as well. Her name was Carly, and she was modeling part-time._

_They drank half of the bottle, and passed out, singing inappropriate versions of Christmas songs. Sean slept in her roommate's bed, and Aaron cuddled Penelope on hers. She never thought she could feel this way, and she loved him more than she ever thought capable of. She knew that their relationship may not last, it was a strong possibility, given the facts, and statistics, but right then and there, she knew they would be together. They would beat the odds. Always._

_He moved his body to get better adjusted, and she could feel his hand moving along her body, cupping her ass, before moving along her curves. He grazed her tits, but kept moving his hand.. She bit back a moan, and her hands began moving as well, from his chest to his abs, all the way down to his clothed, hard cock._

_He furrowed his brows in concentration as she began to rub him. Draping a leg over him, she scooted him closer, and started kissing him. His breath smelled of whiskey and coke, and it was intoxicating._

_Looking to Sean, she could see he was still drunk, since he ended up drinking much more than them, and he was still softly snoring across the room. When she checked Aaron again, his eyes were open this time, and he was intensely staring at her with hooded eyes. The room was lowly lit by the moon outside, leaving it dark, but not dark enough to not make out anything. It was right before the blizzard was supposed to hit. Sometime the next day it was coming, and she had to get prepared in the morning. Now, however, was just about them._

_She smiled, and leaned in, kissing him passionately. He ran his fingers into her hair, and slowly slid his hand down along her back and cupped her ass, squeezing it. Gasping, she could feel herself getting wet, and she went to his belt buckle and expertly opened up his pants._

_They may not have gone all the way yet, but she definitely knew what to do to make him lose his mind. She loved that she could do that to him, and it sent thrill through her knowing her touch made him come undone._

_Aaron's eyes, even in the darkness of the room was impossible not to guess what he was feeling. His eyes were so hungry for her, and he reached down near her inner thigh and grabbed her pussy tightly, and she gasped, about to let out a long moan before his hand went covered her mouth._

_Letting go, he put a finger against his lips, signaling her to be quiet, and brought his hand silently back down to her thigh. She had pajama shorts on, and Aaron slowly slid his finger down inside the fabric, along her ivory thigh and grazed a finger along her panty-covered pussy._

_She bit her lip, and threw her head back, trying her hardest to be quiet. Her body trembled with pleasure, but the tickling sensation just made her feel empty, and she needed more. Leaning in, he whispered against her ear huskily, "Fuck, Leannan. You're so wet for me." Proving that, he dipped his long, dextrous fingers into her panties and ran them along her heated slit. Gasping at the contact, Aaron then brought his fingers to his mouth and sucked on them._

_She whimpered, feeling the loss down there, and brought his fingers to her mouth and sucked on them, mimicking the motion. His eyes were half-lidded, and his lips were parted slightly, mesmerized by her tongue._

_Kissing her, he moved his soft lips from hers, down to her jaw line, before making his way to her neck. Kissing her there, she let out another whimper that sent the blood flowing even more to his cock. Raising her shirt high, he reached behind and unclasped her bra with one hand, and now had a full view of her large breasts. They fit perfectly in his large hands, and he squeezed her tit roughly, just how she liked it._

_She gasped, and whimpered near his ear that shot straight to his cock. Her rosy colored nipples were as hard as glass, and he couldn't keep his hands off of her. Taking her small and hard nipple into his mouth, he sucked softly before adding a strong amount of pressure in intervals. Writhing, she reached for his shirt, and started to raise it up._

_Groaning, he didn't budge. As much as he wanted to get undressed, he knew his brother was passed out across the room. If he saw what was happening it would be evident to what they were up to. Also, he knew that wasn't how their first time should happen. Buzzed and holding back their moans and cries. No, he needed to remain in control to stop himself from crossing that line. In some ways, keeping his shirt on felt like a tether to reality, and he was gripping it for dear life._

"_Fuck, Penelope. You have no idea how much I want you," he breathed. Reaching down, he slowly slid her panties to the side and grazed her clit once again. Gasping, she was about to moan when Aaron came up and kissed her again, silencing her._

_Before they went further, he moved his hand away. "Your pussy tasted good on my fingers. Do you want me to touch you? Or lick your tight pussy?" he breathed into her ear. She bit her lip, and whimpered again. How could she decide? _

_Her breathing picked up exponentially, and she whispered so softly, he barely heard it, not trusting how loud her voice was. "I want you to touch me baby, please. Please."_

_Groaning, he took his thumb and pressed down on her clit, and kissed her. Slowly, he circled his thumb on her, before dipping a digit into her tight pussy. His cock was so hard, he could barely focus. Seeing her wild and begging for him was too much. He could come just by seeing her like this._

_Slowly, he entered another finger in her tight pussy. Moving his thumb and fingers in the same fluid motion, he could feel her walls beginning to clench his finger. Her head was back, her lips parted widely, barely breathing so she wouldn't cry out, it was overwhelming. Leaning in, he breathed in the shell of her ear, her eyes rolling in the back of her head as he softly moaned in her ear._

"_Jesus, you're so fucking tight against my fingers. Come on my fingers baby," he breathed. Panting, she moved out of his grasp and got a better position to kiss him, trailing white hot kisses on his chin and neck, she pulled his shirt off without him noticing. He was barely holding on, and as she kissed and nipped his ear, his chest rumbled in almost a growl. Whimpering, she slid her hands along his muscular body, until her hand softly dipped inside of his opened jeans._

_Hissing at the contact, he stuttered a breath and halted all movement as she wrapped a small hand around his thick cock, and slowly began pumping him in his restricted clothing. After the shock of her hands inside of his boxers subsided, he began to move his fingers once again, now quickening his speed._

_Noticing her movements on his dick were pausing, he could see Penelope lost in the haze of pleasure that he was giving her. Her breathing was picking up, and her back was arched, and he could feel her inner walls begin to tighten._

"_Fuck, I'm gonna..." she breathed. Suddenly, he felt her come all over his hand. Groaning, she trembled, giving into the need for release. Slowly opening her eyes, she stared into Aaron's crazed ones. Now that her haze was clearing, she could see how horny he was. His breathing was ragged, and his eyes devoured her._

_She wanted him so badly, but it hadn't been the right time. They had been so swamped with schoolwork, or their new interests and hobbies that it hadn't been a priority. Okay who were they kidding? Definitely a priority, and the more they saw each other, the more she couldn't keep her hands off of him, but it had never been the right time. Sean liked to hang around, there were new parties, new friends, and they all worked a couple jobs, since they didn't take their father's money. They used it for the education aspect, but any money they needed for books or food or clothing or even some dorm stuff, like bedding or shelves, were paid for by them._

_She had stopped pumping his huge cock as she orgasmed, but squeezed his cock tightly, the way he liked as she rode it out. He was big, much bigger than she thought, to be honest. It was so long and thick, it made her mouth water. "I can't wait to make you come inside me, but I guess tonight you are going to have to settle for my mouth," she whispered in his ear._

_He licked his lips as her hand slowly began to stroke him. He was wild, unhinged and he looked so sexy as his eyes darkened. She loved his sweet nature, but she loved the switch that he pulls in the bedroom for her. He turned savage, and so sensual she can practically come just hearing him speak dirty to her. "I suppose I'll survive. Such a hardship with that pretty mouth of yours," he told her. She laughed, and brought his lips to her neck, and he nipped at her skin, down to her collarbone. _

"_I need you so much, Penelope." Grabbing her golden locks, he kissed her passionately. His heavy breathing was making a lot of noise, and as much as she wanted to keep kissing him, she figured she would give him what he needed._

"_Shh... Sean," she whispered in warning. He gave her a wild look, one that said, "Like I fucking care," and she smiled, rolling her eyes. Sure, he says that now. Luckily for both of them, Sean is a very heavy sleeper. He usually took a sleeping pill, but that night he didn't. Luckily, the alcohol would keep him out for a while, at least. Or so she hoped._

_She kissed the tip, before she kissed the underside of him, and she felt it throb under her fingers. He threw his head back, and clenched his fists, holding back the need to shove himself in the back of her throat. He wouldn't really do it, but the haze of lust and love and need was too overwhelming. He wanted to bury himself inside her tight heat, and never leave._

_She could see how much he needed her, and even though she liked to tease him, she didn't want to tonight. She took him in her mouth, sucking him to the back of her throat, and bobbing up and down quickly. He was so crazed, she didn't know if he was going to last long._

_Her one hand grabbed his hip, while the other massaged his balls. Her hot tongue swirled against his tip, before plunging down on his cock. She could barely fit him in her mouth, and just knowing she could make him lose his inhibitions made her moan around his cock._

"_Fuck, you feel so god damn good. Faster, baby," he groaned. Aaron couldn't control himself, and she was getting soaked at how hot that was. God, she really hoped Sean doesn't wake up._

_She plopped him out of her mouth, and her hand took over in intervals as she took his balls into her mouth. Sucking them inside, she let her tongue massage them as she lightly sucked. He then covered his mouth to keep from moaning. She knew just how to send him over the edge, and couldn't believe the chemistry they had. It was so intoxicating._

"_I am so close," he warned her. As she heard that, she moaned around his balls, and after giving one bold tug on his balls, switched back to his length. Her blond curls splayed over his thighs, brushing his sensitive skin as she bobbed up and down. Her cheeks hollowed out, and her hazel eyes peeking over his cock sent him over the edge. He moaned raggedly, and she took everything he gave her into her mouth._

_Swallowing, she wiped her lips, and Aaron pulled her to him. She moaned as he kissed her, and even though the taste of himself wasn't very pleasant, he didn't care. She was still turned on, that much he knew, but as he tried to slip his fingers inside her, she stopped him._

"_Let's not push our luck. You covered my mouth when I should have been covering yours," she giggled softly. He blushed a little, but luckily she couldn't see it in the dark._

"_I can't help how crazy you make me, love. I can't help but show you what you do to me."_

"_I make you crazy?" she asked uncertainly. The man in front of her was every girl's dream. Tall, dark, handsome. Loving, caring, and completely hers. She was just plain old Penelope Garcia. Short, blond and pretty. She wasn't even in the same league as him, but he seemed like he only wanted her. It made her heart soar and plummet knowing one day he would realize it._

"_Penny, you know what you do to me. Then again, maybe I just have to show you right now..." he suggested. She giggled, and squeaked as he leaned into her, and kissed her lips._

_The following morning was Christmas, and Sean woke them both up. "Come on! It's Christmas! Santa came!" he said excitedly._

_Penelope groaned, and Aaron rubbed the sleep from his eyes. They were both exhausted from the previous night's events. Turning over, she saw that Sean had put their presents for each other under the tiny aluminum tree she had. They each got something for each other and Sean was bouncing in his seat, excited to unwrap all of the gifts._

"_You are not opening a damn thing until I make my coffee. Got it?" Aaron warned, his voice thick with sleep, all gravelly and groggy. She could listen to that forever. He needed his coffee like he needed air. Their workload was astronomically harder, and they were lucky to get a decent night's sleep._

_Sean scoffed, and pointed to the night stand. "What do you think I am, an amateur? Now hurry up!" He was always antsy for presents, even on other people's birthdays._

_Aaron looked to where he pointed, and saw the local coffee shop trio of drinks they get often. Along with some doughnuts. He slipped his pants back on, and grabbed a coffee and a tea for her. Handing it to her, he gave her a relaxed, lazy smile, and leaned in. He looked so sexy in the mornings his hair was messed up and his eyes were all squinty. He remained shirtless, and she couldn't keep her eyes off of him. He seemed so serene and happy to see her. As his eyes roamed a little too long on her, she was about to kick Sean out and get another gift. Instead, she took a sip of the hot tea, and stood up._

"_Here, let me get your gifts, hold on. I think I put them... where are they again? I could have sworn they were over here." Penelope told them. She searched under her bed, and didn't see them there._

"_You mean these? Get your glasses on, Stevie Wonder." She rolled her eyes, and ignored the annoying remark._

_Aaron handed Penelope her glasses, and as she slipped them on, he leaned down for a kiss. "Merry Christmas, Aaron."_

"_Merry Christmas. Come on. If we don't hurry, he'll begin opening ours, too." he joked. Agreeing wholeheartedly, she tugged him down to the floor next to Sean._

_It was great. They exchanged gifts, and they were mostly stuff the other needed, like a notebook or a desk organizer. Aaron wanted to hug his, he was so happy to get one. He wasn't particularly a neat freak, but the lack of organization had been having an impact on his studying. All in all it was a great morning._

_Sean went to his dorm to get the party ready, and later that afternoon, Aaron took her to his dorm. Penelope couldn't believe it. He set it up with a couple movies ready to be watched, candles, and wine. She didn't want to drink, since she normally didn't do a whole lot of that, but she may have a glass. She was nervous, after all. "You like it?"_

_She turned around, hearing the excitement in his voice, and grinned from ear to ear. This was so beautiful and perfect and sweet of him to do. "I love it. You are the kindest, sweetest man I've ever known, do you know that?"_

_His smile turned a little cocky, and nodded. "I don't listen to you yammer on for nothing. Ouch! Kidding, baby. Only kidding. No, I wanted you to have a relaxing night. It's the least I could do since you had to take on that awful job. I thought I could give you a massage, watch some movies, relieve some tension..." he said as he kissed her neck from behind. He rubbed his finger she bent it back a little from that little remark, and chuckled into his skin._

_She leaned back against him, and inwardly smiled. She could not love him more. She was so excited to give him his gifts, she wanted to scream. Opening their presents earlier that day, she got him a DVD of Star Wars, Episode three, and a new copy of The Lord of the Rings, since he had to leave those behind at his home, and he never had enough room to grab them, since Sean packed the car to the gills with nonsense that he called, "crucial". Really, it was all of his dirty laundry he needed to clean there since his job wasn't very lucrative. Aaron loved Star Wars, and she had hooked him on The Lord of the Rings._

"_Awful job? Come on, it could be worse." Aaron gave her an incredulous look and shook his head._

"_Worse? You work in the library. You stock shelves all day and if you so much as sneeze, you get written up."_

"_I guess you're right." she laughed. She was never one to stay quiet, and having to keep her voice to a whisper was killing her. She was already written up five times, and one more and she would have to be demoted. She wasn't sure, but she may have to be the gum scraper. Another write up after that and she is fired._

"_Before we start watching movies, I want you to open this." She had brought in a gift bag holding his gift, and she was too excited to wait._

_She handed him the package, and he rolled his eyes as he inspected it. He opened it up, and found a Star Wars coffee mug, and two tickets to a U of M football game sticking out from the cup. He was ecstatic. She knew his love for anything Star Wars and to top if off were great seats to the game to next years rival game against the Spartans. It was going to be amazing._

_He hugged her, and said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"_

_She giggled, and shrugged. "I figured you would like it." Aaron set them down, ran to his bed, where her gift was._

_He looked around, and sighing, he came back to hand her the gift bag. "Here, Leannan. Open it while I look for your other present. I know I left it around here somewhere. A day too late for my damn organizer." She giggled, and opened the gift bag._

"_What the-? How did you-? How?" she stammered. Opening it up, she saw a framed family photo album. The album was new, but not the pictures. In the fame in front, was a small clown she had updated from her room. It was Smeagol, from The Lord of the Rings. One of her best, according to Aaron. When she opened the book, there were more on the inside, and the first pictures were of her mother, father, brothers, Sean and Aaron. Her family._

_He grabbed what he was looking for, and when he turned around, he could see how upset she was. He ran to her, and hooked her chin upwards to look at her. "You like it?"_

_She couldn't find the words. After they died, she wouldn't go back in the house. She couldn't. She didn't know how long it would be for her to see their faces and old pictures again. Let alone those God awful clowns. It made her heart ache, but it felt so good to see them again. He wiped the tears from her cheeks, and concern was etched on his face._

"_I couldn't have asked for anything more. This is so perfect. Thank you, sweetheart!" _

_He leaned down, and kissed her softly before his eyes turned sassy. "That's not all. You have one more gift. Here."_

_After handing it to her, he grinned, excited to see her reaction. Bringing it closer, it was an envelope. She narrowed her eyes playfully. "It isn't a jet, I take it?" she laughed._

"_Not really, but it does involve travel." She looked at him suspiciously and tore open the card. She felt something inside, but she didn't want to be rude and not read the card. Looking at the card, it read. "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Merry Christmas! Read The Card Later What Are You Waiting For?", on the front. She giggled, and looked at her gift, and she almost fell over._

"_What? How did you-?" she couldn't believe what she was holding. It was three airplane tickets, and three tickets to Comic-Con._

"_I know we planned on it before- uh, you know," he said, wincing. Now was not a great time to bring up her dead parents. They had agreed to go once they all turned eighteen, but now that dream to go was so far away since they had to work so much and were independent from their parents more than they were expecting. Aaron had pulled some extra shifts at the pizza parlor he worked at and saved some from their emergency funds._

"_But I thought it would be fun, and it'll be summer at the time, so we won't have as much of a workload." She squeaked and jumped into his arms. Wrapping his arms around her, he breathed in her scent. She smelled so good, like apples and summer._

"_That's not all... the fun is just beginning, because we also are watching, a Christmas tradition- The Nightmare Before Christmas. All set up and ready to push play."_

"_What did I ever do to deserve you, Aaron?" She didn't let him have the chance to belittle himself or turn it on her like he always did. She pulled his lips to hers, and kissed him as hard as she could. She could never get enough of those lips, those eyes, and smile. He deepened the kiss, and clutched her tightly to him. She felt so incredible in his arms. He never wanted to let her go._

_Breaking the kiss, she lightly pushed him to the bed. As he sat down, he gave her a puzzled look and waited for her to speak. She felt her heart thunder out of her chest, and her smile was a little shaky. "That is not all the fun I was planning tonight, love."_

_She swallowed thickly, and turned around, looking over her shoulder at him. "A little help, please?" she asked. Her hands were shaking, but she knew it was just nerves of what to expect. She didn't doubt him, or him being the person she would give herself to, but just the act in general. She'd heard all kinds of stories, some where it hurt, some felt nothing, some hated it and some loved it. She always hoped she would be the one to love it, but she supposed everyone else did as well._

"_Baby, we don't have to do this. I am fine if you want to wait. I love you so much, Leannan." He stood up, and walked a step closer, and he did as she asked, untying the string on the back of her dress, but didn't want to touch her, not until she was sure._

_She looked at him, and gave him a kiss on his jaw. "I want you to make love to me, Aaron. I don't want to say you are my first, since I don't want anyone other than you. Only you."_

_His breath hitched at her words. He wanted nothing more than that. She was the only woman for him. She was his best friend. "I feel the same. No one else. No one will ever make me feel the way you do, Penelope. I can't imagine my life without you. I love you more than my own life. Always," he rasped._

_She kept her back to him, and he lightly touched her jaw. His fingers ghosted across her skin, sending shivers through her. Sliding down, his fingers slid under the strap, and peeled it off of her skin. "Your skin is so soft, so smooth."_

_She closed her eyes, and her chest heaved against her tight dress, loving every touch, every kiss. He kissed her neck, and turned her around, now facing him completely. He ran his fingers through her hair, and slipped his fingers under her clothing, tugging it until it fell on the ground._

_Looking down, he saw the lingerie she had on underneath, and he bit his lip, trying to distract himself. Normally, he didn't really care about that kind of stuff, but it just seemed like a present, only he could unwrap._

_Her hands slid down his hard chest, grabbing a hold of his shirt and lifting it off his body. His eyes were dark, and all consuming. She could feel his eyes cloud over with lust, and as he licked his lips, he grazed her breast over the corset. She slid her hand lower, and grabbed him over his jeans._

"_I can't wait to feel you inside of me." She looked at him bashfully, and Aaron couldn't take it anymore. She knew just what to do to make him crazy._

"_You are so gorgeous," he whispered against her lips. As his pants dropped to his ankles, he slipped off the last of her lingerie, and pulled her down on the bed. As he cradled her face, he smiled into their kiss. He couldn't believe he was this happy. She made him happier than he could ever imagine. She was all he ever needed. All he would ever want..._

_It was amazing. Everything they both imagined it could be, and more. She felt a little silly being so worried on how it would go, since she knew Aaron wouldn't have hurt her. At first it hurt, of course, but after... it was so incredible. She could feel, taste, touch how much he loved and wanted her. She had never felt so loved, and beautiful than in that time._

_He was on cloud nine. He made sure they were careful, doubling the birth control, and she was so sexy, so passionate and as delicate as he thought she was, she was anything but. He couldn't love her more, and he was glad she was the one he lost it to._

_Their remaining months of school, it was harsh. The illnesses between the three of them were crazy. There wasn't a day that one of them wasn't sick by the time April came around. They had the flu, colds and Sean had gotten mono. It finally ended with Penelope, who had a sinus infection, and he nursed her back to health. She told him she loved him in a nurses uniform. Still, they managed to find time for their new "extra curricular activities"._

_Sean began to date a woman named Hannah, who was in his Philosophy class. They had been together for a month, and he was crazy about her. She was very funny, and a lot more abrasive than his other girlfriends. Not in a bad way, but this one definitely said her mind, and loved to antagonize people. Aaron didn't like her a whole lot._

_Penelope liked her, but Sean wasn't around much, since he was now with her. When their finals were hitting, Penelope was exhausted, and with her heavy workload, didn't hang out with anyone too much. Her job asked her to take on more hours, since the other one hated the job so much, as he quit he grabbed books and threw them as high as he could into the air as he exited the building. It was a lot of books. If she was home, she ate little, too stressed, and slept as much as she could._

_Aaron understood, but he missed her like crazy. He wished he could help her, but every best intention he had, turned into a make-out session instead of studying, or another way to relieve her tension. Now neglecting her studies, she told him she needed to focus on that, and then they can hang out._

_When May rolled around, she finally passed her exams. Still, she was exhausted, but much more calm than she was before that. They hung out a little more, but her job was still packing on her workload. All she wanted to do, was hang out with her two best friends and relax, but she had to get as much hours as she could in, so that they could do some actual fun activities, like God-forbid a date, and to save all their money for their trip around the corner._

_She saw how hard her new little family worked, and she wanted to make them as happy as she was. They meant the world to her, and she couldn't believe how lucky she was to still be so close to them after all of these years. She hoped it would stay that way for the rest of their lives. She was positive it would happen, and she couldn't stop thinking about how amazing their lives are going to be. Everything was more than she could have ever asked for._

* * *

She wiped away a stray tear, and realized she had been crying without noticing. He pulled a handkerchief from his suit, and handed it to her. She used it to wipe her tears, but didn't hold it. She knew that she would cry like a baby in a matter of seconds, and she couldn't stomach doing it in front of him.

"You don't need to protect me anymore. Go home. Go to your family and let me pay for what I've done! I don't need you to feel sorry for me. I knew the risks! I wanted those people to suffer! If this is about you being associated with a criminal, then don't bother. Let me rot." She looked away, and saw her tear-stained cheeks in the reflection of the mirror. She was angry. She didn't need his help.

Before he said anything else, she turned to him holding her head up high. She'd be damned if she let the pigs get the best of her. She was not sorry for the things she had done. She fought for justice. She fought for freedom and she wanted nothing more than to burn those horrible people down. "I helped those people! I fought for them when no one else would! They called me their Queen because I helped them instead of turning a blind eye like the rest of them!" she cried. She knew she admitted to what she had done just then, but she didn't care. Anything to get rid of the pain throbbing in her chest. Pain caused by being so close to him.

He looked down. The pain etched on his perfect face mirrored her own, and as he winced, he slid the ring on his finger around. She suddenly was curious about all of this. Why was he here, investigating her? Surely they would have someone else here and Aaron stuck behind the mirror.

"Why are you even here? Were you looking for me on purpose?"

Aaron's eyebrows shot up, and he leaned back on the chair. "No."

She looked away, and Aaron tugged on his ear. "We weren't looking for you. We were looking into the Black Queen. We thought at first she was a run-of-the-mill criminal, until we really looked into all of the acts she had committed. They were admirable, but still illegal. We were looking into arresting her, when I saw your signature."

She gave him a puzzled look, and sat up straighter. "Why were you looking into her-me in the first place? What exactly is your branch, Aaron?" she wondered.

Aaron smiled softly, and looked into her eyes again. "I am an agent of the Behavioral Analysis Unit. We study behavior of criminals to give a profile of who they are looking for. They are called Unknown Subjects, or better known around here as 'Unsubs.' We were surprised at how much compassion this 'heinous criminal' had shown and how much effort and care went into your plans. Your signature did confuse me at first, and maybe it was denial. Maybe it was coincidence, but I knew it was you, even before you left the breadcrumbs. But by the time I realized who it was, and thought of what I was going to do, it was too late. The next day we discovered your name."

"Breadcrumbs? What do you mean?" She knew what he was talking about, but she was so shocked he caught onto them.

"Come on, Lean- Penelope. You were never found for years, and suddenly you left a recording at the scene with the refugees. You didn't use as many walls in your encrypting as you usually had and you told a woman you saved, that your name was Penelope to calm her down. It was like-" he cut himself off, shaking his head.

"Like what, Aaron?" She felt all of the wind blew out of her sails, and now that the truth was emerging, it was like she could finally breathe.

His gaze moved to hers, and it was as intense and as intimate as their wedding. She was locked in his trance, and she didn't want to look away. He was burning her, even after all of this time. "It was like you wanted to be caught. Like you gave up living."

She hated how right he was. She used to be so careful. So mysterious, until finally, she didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore. The guilt and shame of the past buried her deeper everyday, until finally she couldn't see the sky anymore. She had hoped that she could be free a little longer, but she knew it was only a matter of time.

Without answering, because they both knew he was right, he went on. "We study people, why they do what they do. We narrow down suspects based on their behavior, and we were intrigued with the Black Queen. She could have done anything. Yet you chose to help others. Other people you didn't know. Those women, refugees, animals, not to mention those children. We could see your heart in all of your deeds, and that is something that we were not expecting." he said.

Yes, she did help others. Now it was biting her in the ass. She knew it was only a matter of time, however, but right now, she wished it was anyone but Aaron in front of her. As much as she missed him, it was hard to stomach that he first thought of her as a heinous psychopath.

Aaron saw the broken girl in front of him, and he could barely contain his guilt. This beautiful woman, now with inky black hair and shaking like a leaf was someone he loved more than his own life, and now he could barely look at her. He felt so many emotions that he felt like he was drowning. Her eyes were the dark, and vast ocean, and he couldn't help but want to drown in them once again.

Even with her different appearance, it was like time had frozen. On the surface, nothing had changed since those days when they would cuddle in their tiny apartment, or how he would wake up to her golden hair tickling his nose. Yet watching the pain pulsate around her, coupled with her different look, he knew he missed too much.

He missed her blonde locks, and he missed how easy it was to look at her and know everything she was thinking. The more he watched, the familiar it became, but he wished they could go back in time. To change all of this. So she wouldn't be in front of him, about to go to prison.

* * *

**A.N.-** _**Hello! oh, man... I love these two. Of course, anything Hotch/Garcia related makes me love them. teehee. Thanks for stopping by!**_


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N.**_**\- Hey! I hope you like it! Thanks for all the love on my story! You're all freaking fantastic! I was in mourning over losing Hotchner on CM last month, and I don't know if i can handle watching it without him. He may had done wrong but CM isn't CM without him. I am still hoping for a miracle, though! Happy reading! Love you all!**_

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything... if i did I wouldn't have FIRED Aaron Hotchner like an animal!_

* * *

What Could've Been

_Chapter Five_

"So what now? How long am I looking at?" She tried to keep her voice calm and collected, but it was as if she was standing in front of him on a cold winter's night.

"A long time. Twenty years, give or take if you don't take our deal."

"So, before you said you'd help me, right? Some type of deal, or something? How could you possibly help me? Why would you? I am a criminal."

Aaron scooted his chair closer, and leaned in. "If you reveal everything we ask of you, the deal is to come work for us. Here. With my team at Quantico. You'd be our Technical Analyst. Before you jump down my throat about 'pity' and 'feeling sorry for you', don't. We know how valuable your set of skills are in capturing the bad guys. They would have asked you with or without our history."

She couldn't speak. She didn't know what to say. Was he serious? Work for them? Work with him? This felt like special treatment, influence, and yet she knew he was honest about wanting her to work there. He never lied to her. Still, this was crazy. She had to be under the government's employ or be sent away to prison. Normally, this would be a no-brainer... however, working alongside an old love with a painful past every single day for the foreseeable future whom she never got closure from makes a girl tend to wonder if prison wouldn't be so bad after all.

Then it struck her. "You mean that they want to keep their enemies close, right? I mean, the government wants me here so they can keep a better eye on me, instead of getting out and repeating my mistakes."

Aaron smirked, and her body was humming with pain. Still, she kept her face blank. "See? You are already good at the job. Of course, that isn't what you'd be doing. You'd be working with us in collecting intel on the Unsubs we investigate. Please, Penelope, just think very carefully about this."

As he said that, he reached over and grabbed her fingers on the desk. The thrum of their connection sparked to life like it used to, and she couldn't get over how much she missed it. Her breath hitched, and he cleared his throat as he tightened her fingers for a moment before she slipped out of his hold. Too much. His touch was a drug, and she hadn't touched the stuff in years. She needed to break away to make sure she didn't find a way to slip out of her cuffs, yank on his tie and shove her tongue down his throat like the lady she wasn't.

She leaned back, and as she pretended to think, all the while she knew which choice to pick. She'd be an idiot to not take him up on their offer. Still... was she ready to be so close to him again? Could she work side by side with him, knowing his wife could show up or worse... their child? All she knew was that it would break her to see that. As much as she wanted him to be happy all these years, she couldn't bear to see it. Why wasn't their love enough? Why didn't they try harder?

How stupid was she to ever let this man go? Forever was within their grasp, if they weren't so blind. She wiped a tear, and looked down. "Deal."

* * *

_They counted down the days until the Comic-Con convention in July, until they finally made it. They worked so hard, and spent so much time planning the trip they were in shock it was upon them. Penelope made a fake I.D. for all of them, since they were eighteen, not twenty one, and ordered the hotel rooms. Aaron and Sean covered the food and extra emergency money, along with fun money, covering souvenirs, costumes, and travel._

_Everything was set. When they got on the plane, Aaron let Penelope have the window seat. "Thanks, baby. You can have it coming back." He nodded, and settled himself down. Sean was in the seat in front of Penelope, and he was vibrating with excitement, like a kid jacked up on Mountain Dew._

_He couldn't wait to get there, and to be honest, they all couldn't. "So you haven't been in a plane before, Penelope?" Sean asked. From the time she had known the Hotchners', they had been on a few trips, and ones that Mr. Hotchner wouldn't go to. He would rather stay home, working than to have a modicum of fun. They asked Penelope to go to their trip to New York, once, but Penelope had to stay back because she got sick with a horrible flu._

"_No. At least I don't remember." she said, her voice showing how nervous she was. She knew everything would be fine, but still..._

"_It's awesome. Here, take some gum. It'll help with your ears popping." he said as the plane began taking off. Sean handed her a piece of gum, and she stuck it in her mouth. It didn't help the nerves in her stomach at all, and she took deep breaths to ebb the need to vomit at bay. Aaron turned to her, and gave her a reassuring smile._

"_We'll be there before you know it, sweetie. You can sleep if you want to." He lifted their entwined fingers, and kissed the top of her hand. She finally noticed it was in a death grip, and she let go sheepishly. "Sorry."_

"_Don't be. You are pretty adorable right now." She rolled her eyes at his small chuckle, and she rested her head into the crook of his neck._

_It went fine, but Penelope had a hard time at first, getting her air-legs, or she supposed it was more air-wings then. After they were halfway there, she felt better. When they got to their hotel, it was bustling with people for the convention. People were already in their costumes, roaming the lobby, meeting people with similar interests._

_They had two separate rooms, and Sean was disappointed his girlfriend and he broke up, but not devastated. She told the group that they were dumb to waste their money on a nerd-gathering, and that she wouldn't be caught dead being there. They were fine with her decision until she told Sean that she didn't like him going with Penelope without her being there. Needless to say, he dropped her off at the curb._

_Penelope felt bad at the number of relationships she had cost him in their friendship. She could understand jealousy, but to be jealous when there was nothing warranted was just stupid. She was dating his brother for almost two years for crying out loud! Sean told her to pay no mind, and that if they can't deal then they are not worth his time. Women come and go, but his Penelope was forever. She loved that dork so much._

_Their trip was a week long, and they had a million things they wanted to do. They saved every penny, and they were going to make the most out of the trip. They planned to sight-see San Diego all day, and some the next day. Comic-Con would start in a couple of days, which would give them plenty of time to see some tourist-y stuff before the real fun began. As they were in game-planning mode in the room on where to go next, Penelope fell asleep on the soft bed, listening to their soothing voices. Aaron and Sean didn't want to leave her, but she had been so exhausted, they would bring her a souvenir and a shirt from somewhere and take her another day. They left a note, and wrote their numbers down on a slip of paper so in case she felt up to coming, she could call and meet up._

_Aaron unlocked the door with the card key, and was laughing to himself about Sean. It was great to have a day with just the two of them. They loved Penelope, but it was nice to talk just as brothers. Then again, ninety nine percent of their conversation was about Penelope or something she said so it was like she was there anyways. They missed her terribly, and couldn't wait to tell her how their day went. Aaron walked inside first, in case she was undressed before Sean entered._

"_Hey honey! You get some good sleep? We went down to this boardwalk, and-" he stopped as he looked around. She wasn't there. Looking at the time, it was late, and he started to get worried. A knock rapped on the door, and Sean covered his eyes as he opened the door._

"_Is she in your room, Sean?" He gave him a confused look and shook his head._

"_I hope not, because I changed into my swim shorts without thinking about it. If she was there she probably got an eyeful." He laughed. Aaron didn't think it was funny. His girl was gone in a strange town and he was starting to panic. He couldn't think straight. He thought she would have called if she left the hotel..._

_Sean walked around, and saw a note by the phone. He picked it up, and read it. "Aaron... you may want to look at this."_

_He grabbed it, and it said: _"Aaron- I'm outside for some fresh air. Meet me at the pier."

_Aaron took a few deep breaths, and felt his heart settle for a minute. He knew he was overreacting, but he would never forgive himself if something ever happened to her._

"_You better get down there. Maybe she wants to talk you into a couples' costume. I know she wanted to try. Be strong. Unless it's Han Solo and Princess Leia or Morticia and Gomez Adams."_

_Aaron raised an eyebrow at him and crossed his arms. "Morticia and Gomez?" Sean shrugged and smiled._

"_That would be awesome! She brought it and everything. Imagine G. in that sexy dress! She would kill in it! So fucking hot. I saw it on her when she bought it. I know how good it looks."_

_Aaron narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. "Watch it."_

"_What can I say? Penelope is so fucking hot, man. Not that I have feelings for her, but you can't deny how sexy she is. You should see her when she lingerie shops."_

_Aaron threw his hands in the air, exasperated."Fuck, man. No wonder your girls always dump you because of her! Why the fuck are you with her shopping for something I rip off of her?" He knew there was nothing going on, but he basically said he got wood thinking of his girlfriend. Not okay._

_Sean smiled confidently and stood up from the chair he was sitting on. "Easy, cowboy. We go so I can buy my girls something sexy, which she helps me with, and she tries hers on, hoping it enhances her smokin' body. I tell her if she looks hot or not." he stated simply, like it was the most normal thing in the world._

"_You guys might need counseling. That's all I'm saying." He smirked as he walked to the door._

"_You're welcome for that purple teddy, by the way!" Sean screamed out as the door shut behind him. He chuckled, and shook his head. Great, now he wanted to burn it. He loved that one too._

_Walking down to the pier, it was a little chillier than it was when they first got back to the hotel. He had his sweater with him, and he pulled it on. He walked down, a little further, until he saw Penelope on a dock, wrapped in a shawl. He shoved his hands in his pockets, and walked up to her._

_She smiled, but he knew it was her fake one. He hoped she wasn't mad at him for heading out without her. "Hey, Penelope! I was worried when you weren't up there."_

_She didn't say anything, but stared at the water. He didn't know what she wanted, so he scratched his stubble. "Did you want to go as Morticia?"_

_She looked at him, then, finally some true eye contact, and looked confused. "What?"_

"_Never mind. Something Sean said. You hungry?"_

"_No. Sean isn't waiting for us, is he?"_

"_Nah. He's heading down to the pool. He saw some girls head down there as we were coming up."_

_She nodded, and looked down. Her beautiful smile morphed into a grimace and she hugged the thin shawl tighter around her body. Oh yeah, she must be mad._

"_Listen, I'm really sorry we went out without you, but you've been so tired and you were sleeping so peacefully so we decided to wait for your call. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," he went off. He ignored her interjections, and even though he didn't regret it, he didn't want her to not enjoy herself._

"_Aaron! No, I'm really happy you guys went out without me. I've been so tired, and that extra nap really helped, at first." She grimaced again, and patted the seat next to her._

_He sat down, and he was close enough now to see the goose bumps covering her skin. "You cold? You want my sweater?" She protested, but he gave it to her anyway. He was cold, but he didn't want her to freeze. He had no idea how long she'd been there._

"_Thanks."_

"_So... did you want to go swimming? Not here, because I want to keep my balls, but the pool seems warm enough." he laughed, but she didn't. Something was wrong._

"_What's wrong? Do you want to go home?"_

_She shook her head, and when she closed her eyes, tears slipped onto his sweater she had on. "No. I don't want to go home." she said, trembling._

"_Then what is it?"_

_She looked away from the black ocean, and into his eyes. "I'm pregnant."_

* * *

Aaron's face went blank, and he turned the camera on. The red blinky light flashed in her eyes, and it was more nerve-wracking than before. Now she had to admit out loud what she had done. Taking a deep breath, he walked out for a second to retrieve some papers. She assumed details of her crimes as well as questions.

He organized them, and finally looked at her again. "Let's start at the beginning."

She told him everything she had done. Every illegal act she had committed, and even though she trusted him, she also knew she was telling an FBI agent all that she had done, and the fear that they would change their mind any moment and lock her up was in the forefront of her mind. She paused, to take a drink of water, and Aaron's business-like persona was starting to freak her out.

"So... we need to know more about that- your partner. Who is the King?" he sneered once again at the word and she could see how much it affected him.

"He wasn't a King, Aaron."

"We don't know what he is, so why don't you tell us." he snapped. It was clear that he was on edge, that he didn't like to talk about this any more than she did.

"He is-was my mentor. I learned a lot from him and I suppose I taught him a thing or two as well." Aaron's throat bobbed, and she noticed how tight he was clenching the pen in his hand.

"Well I need his name, and any information you have on him. I mean everything."

She turned her head away, and couldn't help but be nervous. This was her ex, about to explain her other person in her life, whether she wanted him in her life or not was beside the point. "I'm sure if you know me, you know him."

Aaron glared, and opened her file. "I want to hear you talk about him. I know he had everything pinned on you, and yet he is trying to protect you. I know that he tried hacking into our servers once you were apprehended. I know for him to go to that much trouble, he had to-" he stopped himself, and took a deep breath.

A tear slipped down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away. She didn't want to cry about Shane. It wasn't even him she was crying about. It was a tear for herself, that she had to explain him, them together. It was something she had never any intention to do with Aaron.

Looking down, she stared at the gleam of florescent light on the metal desk and thought about what she could possibly say. What was the point in talking about him? He was a criminal, same as her and an artist with a keyboard. He was passionate, but only in his work. It was one of the things she admired about him.

Clearing her throat, she scanned her eyes around until she saw her reflection in the mirror. She could hardly recognize herself. "His name is Shane Wyeth. He is-_was_ my mentor. I met him face to face about five years ago. Before that we corresponded for almost twelve years, I think in total now. Talking on webcams, messaging and calls."

Aaron froze, and looked up at her slowly. "What? Why didn't I know about him before?"

Penelope shrugged, and played it off like it was nothing, but inside she felt a pang of guilt for a moment before she realized she had nothing to feel guilty about. "You didn't know about him because it was nothing more than admiring each other's work. I remember I used to tell you that someone told me I had real talent, remember?"

As Aaron thought back to that dark time, she couldn't help but feel angry. "Whatever Aaron. I don't care if you remember or not. It's not like you took the time to ask me about my life around then anyways."

Aaron's eyes darkened, but he didn't say anything. So she went on. "He admired my work, and it spiraled into a competitive friendship. We had bouts of no communication for years, when I hit my all time low five years after-" her voice caught, and she felt a cold shiver run down her spine.

"We talked. It morphed into more. I was and am a criminal."

Aaron's eyes darkened, and as he looked at her, she swore they had a menacing edge to them. "What do you mean by 'more'?"

* * *

_She bit her lip, and fresh tears rolled down. How she wished she could change this. This was never what she wanted for her own life, for his. She always dreamed about carrying his child, to have a whole van full of kids with the man in front of her, but not while they were in college. Eighteen, pregnant and still had another two years of school to finish at the minimum for her, more for Aaron._

"_I don't understand. We were careful, right?" he asked vacantly._

_She nodded, and cried into her hands. "We were! I'm so sorry."_

_His eyes were as stoic as they ever were when something bad happens. She had forgotten what they looked like, it had been so long since she'd seen those eyes. Vacant, cold, completely unreadable. Since they'd left the Hotchner's, his eyes had been so relaxed and happy. It was so amazing to see such a transformation in such a short amount of time in the car when they went on their road trip and ever since then. "Well, if we were careful, maybe you are wrong. Sometimes those tests can be wrong."_

_Shaking her head, she looked back to the water again. "It's true. When you guys left, I woke up a couple hours later, and ran to the bathroom and was sick. I didn't want to ruin our trip, so I called a cab, and went to the doctors. I wanted them to give me a pill or shot, anything to take away how exhausted I was. They ran a test, and up popped a positive test."_

"_How is that possible?" His eyes were still unreadable, and she wanted his reaction. She certainly had reactions, but she wanted to know what he thought. She could deal with anger, or denial, but this whole not reacting was too much._

"_I asked the same thing. Apparently, my stupid sinus infection counteracted my birth control or something and I probably got pregnant that way." He remembered that time, and he vaguely remembered a rather rough night of sex, once she started feeling better, and they couldn't keep their hands off of each other. It was rough, and animalistic, and so intense he saw spots behind his eyes. They were thinking around that time in the future the condom may be unnecessary, since they knew they were disease free, and faithful. As Aaron took off the condom, it looked like it may had broken, but they didn't worry. Why worry when your girlfriend was on birth control?_

"_So, you're what? How far along, exactly?"_

"_Eight weeks, possibly? I don't know."_

"_What did you decide?" He kept his eyes to the ocean. He listened to the waves lap against the wood from the docks, and he thought of what he wanted himself. It was a woman's choice, but he believed it should be his decision as well. An agreement. All cases were different, and in this case two people made that child, and he would step up if the need came for it. Yet he wanted to be a part of that decision because it wasn't some one night stand. This was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. _

_They talked about babies a lot, and when they wanted to get married. They said it over and over. Their futures mapped out, in precise order that they both agreed on how it could be. Out of school, things beginning to settle. No need for a house, yet but a nice apartment. Hopefully plenty of travel, or even abroad first. They talked about their future, and it was always crazy ideas to fill in the reality, because the truth was, there was nothing set in stone for plans. Only that they wanted forever. They had no idea where they planned to live, what careers they were certain with settling on, it was too scary to bring a child up in that._

_Could they give their baby up? A part of both of them that had a whole life ahead of it, shipped off to someone who could take care of them better? Or worse, to terminate a child born from love? Could she really go through with it? This morning, she had no idea this little guy was in there, and now that she knows a part of Aaron is alive is inside of her..._

"_I can't get rid of it, Aaron. I can't." He breathed a sigh of relief, and collected her into his arms. He didn't know how much that meant to him until he heard her say those words. He loved her so much, and he didn't want her to have an abortion. They created someone. Together._

"_I don't know what to do! I'm so sorry, Aaron, I just can't terminate it. I am so scared." she cried. He lifted her head up, and wiped her tears with his thumb as he cradled her head in his hands._

"_Look at me. You don't need to be scared, I'm right here. We are going to get through this." As she looked into his eyes, she knew he was sincere, and it sent so much comfort to her heart. She knew him, knew he wouldn't abandon her, but people do weird things when life throws curve balls. She could see he wasn't vacant like he was before. Now he was serious, but she could feel and see how much he loved her._

"_I love you. So much, Aaron."_

"_I love you, too."_

_As she stood up, he followed, and wrapped his arms around her shaking body. They had to go in soon."Do you think we could give this little one up? I mean, it's the only smart decision still on the table," she sniffed._

_His heart sunk at her words, and he knew she was right. It was the only logical choice. It was the most selfless thing they could do, but when it came to her, he was nothing if not selfish. "Penelope?"_

_She shivered, and looked into his eyes. He swallowed thickly, and as serious as his eyes were, they remained so as his smile grew. "I don't think I can. I love you and I don't care about time lines or a perfect order. Well, some things I believe in, but what I mean is, is that I think that you and this little one are something I have been dreaming about for years, and you just came to me sooner than I expected."_

"_Aaron, but what about-?" He cut her off, as he backed away enough to drop to his knee. She gasped, and stared at him incredulously._

"_I love you, and I know I always will. You are my best friend, and now my soul mate is going to be the mother of my child. I can't be any more proud or happier than I am, and it's because of you. I want our forever to start right now. Will you marry me, Penelope Claire Garcia?"_

_He could see love pouring out of her eyes, along with a crazy amount of shock. She had yet to breathe again, and as a few more seconds passed, shock switched to outrage. "Don't even think about it, Aaron Patrick Hotchner! If you want to stand upright for the rest of this trip you better not say that shit to me! I can't believe you!" she fumed. In truth, her heart melted and turned into a pile of goo. That was everything she wanted to hear, but that strengthened her resolve on the matter._

_She turned away from him, and Aaron felt dumbstruck. That was not what he was expecting. He was hurt, and he demanded to know why she stomped on his heartfelt words and acts of love. Getting to his feet, he grabbed her arm. She twisted around, and he could see so much pain in her eyes._

"_Why can't I? I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Penelope. Starting here. Tonight. Do you?" She gaped at his words, not knowing what to say._

"_Y-Yes, of course."_

"_Then what's the problem?"_

_She felt her heart leap into her throat, and she wiped her angry tears. "Because I have been waiting for those words for five years! I didn't get to hear them like I wanted to! Like-Like you would have said those words to me, because you weren't forced into a position to marry me. Because you truly wanted to, not because now the process has to be sped up!" she cried._

"_You think I don't mean them?" She looked away, and wiped her tears._

"_Not like you would if things were different." she whimpered._

"_That's just it. Things are different. I said them because I meant every word. I want to marry you yesterday, and the days before, but I knew if I said it as just me only loving you, you would have laughed in my face. You would have turned me down flat. Probably not because you don't love me, but because we're younger and still in school. So in a way, you'd be just as guilty of circumstance if you said no to me right now if you weren't pregnant."_

_Penelope mulled over his words, and realized he was right. "Damn it." She looked away, and her heart felt like it was going a million beats a second. She loved him more than anything, and she hoped he did still want to marry her. It was always something she wanted with him._

_Aaron's smug smile made her want to slap and kiss him in equal measure. Damn him. "So... are you gonna say yes?"_

_She smiled, and rolled her eyes. This man could be infuriating when he wanted to be. "Ask me again. Please?" she asked sweetly._

"_Penelope Claire Garcia? Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" He bent down on the dock, and kissed her ring finger._

_She cried, and couldn't find the words. Nodding, she leapt into his arms. "I love you."_

_He smiled against her lips, and brought her forehead against his. "I love you, too. Let's just do it here. We have all the people we care about here with us. Please, baby?"_

_Nodding, she hugged him as if her life depended on it. She did feel bad that her brothers and Mrs. Hotchner couldn't be here, yet with a child coming, were they ever going to afford a decent wedding anytime soon? She didn't need much, a dress and a bouquet, compared to a hall, entertainment, dinner to feed a lot of people, and decorations._

"_Tonight. Let's do it tonight. Let's drive to Vegas. It can't be too far." Aaron looked at her, completely shocked, and his heart was pounding so hard, all he could hear was blood rushing to his brain._

"_Let's do this."_

_They ran to the room, and since it was time for them to meet up in the restaurant with Sean, they packed and ran to the restaurant inside the hotel. "Hey, guys! Took you long enough. I need to eat or I'm gonna pass out! Do you want seafood or..." he trailed off as he looked at their faces. They looked as if they were as high as kites, and yet there was an edge to their body language that worried Sean._

"_Come with us, Sean. We have some news." Aaron grinned. He was beaming, while Penelope blushed darker than she had ever been before._

"_Just settle his drink bill, and let's just tell him here. I don't want to go back up and down again. I am a little nauseous." Penelope grumbled. Aaron and Penelope sat down._

_They told him, and Sean kept his face unreadable for a minute. His eyes turned to Penelope, and she couldn't contain her smile. Aaron was radiating such happiness, it took Sean's breath away. He was always jealous of their relationship. Not in a malice sort of way, no. It was more that he wished someone could love him like they loved each other. Their love was something he had never seen before, and he couldn't be happier for them, and for himself. His sister was now officially becoming a Hotchner, and now he was going to be an uncle!_

"_Are you fucking serious?" he screamed into the quiet restaurant. He leapt out of his chair, and hugged Aaron, congratulating him. He screamed his excitement, the public be damned. He turned to Penelope, and kissed her cheek before lifting her up in a hug._

"_You're my sister now! Oh my God! This is insane! I am so happy for you guys!" They laughed, and Sean turned to the staring patrons of the restaurant._

"_Everyone! Everyone! May I have your attention? I am gonna be an uncle and I am finally getting a sister!" he boomed. Everyone cheered, and some went back to their dinners._

_Aaron grabbed Sean's arm, and dragged him out of the restaurant, and told him to pack a bag. "We are going to Vegas, and it is a long drive. You haven't drank tonight, have you?"_

_Sean shook his head, and ran up to his room. Penelope was wringing her hands, and she seemed lost in thought. Aaron walked up to her, and brought her hand up to kiss it softly. "Everything okay?"_

_She nodded, and it was plain to see it was forced. "You're not having second thoughts, are you?"_

_She looked down, and pursed her lips. "I am."_

_Aaron practically deflated, and she could see the hurt in his eyes. She knew she had to explain herself better. "Are we rushing? I mean, our biggest decision this trip was going to be if we were going to ask JK Rowling for her autograph or take a photo with her. Now we are running off and getting married. I don't ever want you to regret marrying me. I really don't want you to ruin your life because of me."_

_Aaron leaned down, and kissed her softly, but it was filled to the brim with love. She felt terrible, but she couldn't imagine ever hurting him. She would hate for him to regret anything about their relationship._

"_How can I regret it if this is what I've wanted all along? I admit it, we're young, and it's going to be really fucking hard some days. I get it. I didn't ask you lightly. You're it for me. No one else. So if you want to wait to marry me for ten years, then I will wait for you."_

_She smiled, and rolled her eyes. "I love you. Of course I want to, and I'm glad you brought that up. We are young and it will be hard. Especially with a baby. It will be complete chaos and it will be a struggle. One that would be worth it."_

_He smiled, and held her in his arms, waiting until Sean got back. He came down, and they grabbed some cheap food as they headed to Las Vegas. It was a long five plus hour drive in a dingy rental car, but they were glad they were there._

_Sean told Aaron to wait in the car, and find a chapel, while he got Penelope ready. Before he left the car, he rubbed his eyes. "What's wrong, bro?"_

_Aaron could see Sean was stressed out a little, and he watched as Sean ran a hand through his hair. "Well, we need to get her ready, see if we can find a dress, and I can't decide if I am the best man, or the maid of honor!" he freaked._

_Aaron chuckled. "Does it matter?"_

"_Of course it matters!" Sean scoffed._

"_Fine. You are my maid of honor. Alright, hurry up. I want to get married as soon as possible. Got it?"_

_Sean narrowed his eyes at Penelope's giggle, and he turned to Aaron. "Not cool, man."_

_Aaron looked at his watch, and turned to the both of them. "Call me when you bought the dress. I don't care what you wear, sweetheart. No matter what you will be so beautiful."_

"_I love you. We'll see you soon." They shopped, and she didn't find a cheap enough gown that looked remotely decent on her, so they decided to pick an alternative from her wardrobe but buy some new lingerie. She found one she knew would look hot, and didn't bother trying it on. It was probably one of the last pieces of lingerie she was going to buy for a while, so Aaron will have to like it whether he liked it or not._

* * *

She smiled self-consciously, and shrugged. "We fought against the system soon after _he _was gone. Only through corresponding notes in our work. Later we called and met up at coffee shops."

Her voice was tight, and he could see immediately that there was more to this. "How involved were you with him?" he asked lowly. He couldn't hide how jealous he was. How he wished he could have been the one to be there. To stop this before it got too far. Maybe he was giving himself more credit than he deserved. Maybe she would have always went through with these crimes, but to be honest the only difference would have been that he would have stuck by her side, kept fighting for what they used to have knowing what he knew now. How stupid and careless they were when it came to their happiness. If they had tried harder... if only pride and pain didn't get in the way... they should have held on tighter instead of letting go.

She tensed, and he thought she would have looked away, but instead she narrowed her eyes slightly at him, and her jaw tightened. "I don't see how that is relevant to your case, Agent Hotchner." she bit out. It was obvious she was uncomfortable, but he would find out, one way or another. Unfortunately, she was right, except for the fact that knowing they were in a relationship mattered in order to know how their relationship was. How he was with her.

"It is relevant, Penelope. It doesn't matter, I can tell that you were more than friends by reading your behavior."

She scoffed, and it gave him pause. She looked bitter, not smug or ashamed or anything else that may invoke a reaction from him. He knew the others weren't listening now, but he really hoped they didn't come back. He didn't want them to hear anything that would make her uncomfortable for them to know in the future. "Just tell me this, Penelope. Did he treat you well? Was he good to you?"

She tensed, and nodded her head a single time. "Yes." Lie.

Penelope didn't want him to know. She didn't want to say anything more about him at the moment. She wanted to get some sleep. "Aaron- Agent Hotchner? I really need some sleep. Can we discuss more later?"

He finally noticed the goose bumps on her skin, and how pale she looked. They had her detained for days, now. "Of course." He walked over, and uncuffed her wrists. She rubbed them, and he saw the blistered rings around her skin and he felt guilty. Maybe he should have brought the team to her city, instead of bringing her there.

"Listen, since I am working here now, can I have my purse?" she asked shakily. Her body shuddered, and Aaron picked up his jacket and threw it over her shoulders.

Looking up, her large doe eyes were like they were caught in headlights. "Thank you. Before it was warm, until I was being interrogated. Now I wish for the warmth again."

He smiled, and pulled her to her feet. "We have a hotel we can set you up in. Or... if you want you can stay at my house." he offered. She felt her pulse quicken, and her breathing hitched at the thought of how mortifying that was.

"I don't mind the hotel, or I can even get my own! I wouldn't want to inconvenience your wife or you by your ex-wife staying there until she gets an apartment. You'd have the couch with your name on it."

He smirked, and furrowed his eyebrows together. "What makes you think it's an inconvenience?"

Rolling her eyes, she huffed. "Aaron Hotchner you are as clueless as the day I met you. Trust me. I will only draw ire from your wife, because if I were in her place, you'd be in the hotel instead." she warned.

He laughed, like really laughed and she couldn't take much more. Her sleep deprivation was causing her to react in the most stupid of ways. She couldn't take much more of the past. It felt like it was killing her. He leaned on the chair she was sitting on, and gave her one of his lazy smiles once again.

"So you're saying that you won't stay at my house because my wife will throw me out of my own house? If she weren't there would you stay?"

His voice held a good amount of mirth, and she couldn't figure out why he was asking the twenty questions of staying at his place. Maybe he realized the absurdity of asking her to come to his house. Didn't he see she was doing him a favor?

She thought over the question he asked in her head for a moment, and answered, "No." Yes. Yes. Yes, yes, yes.

* * *

_Penelope became Mrs. Penelope Hotchner at two fifty five in the morning, and Sean drove back as the happy couple made out in the back seat. Sean wiped some tears from his eyes as the vows were said. Aaron couldn't say his vows because his tongue was tied seeing Penelope wear the Morticia gown, with a white hydrangea bouquet. She curled her hair, and twisted some of it away from her face with a large white flower clip. She was a little gothic looking, but she pulled it off. Aaron wore a pair of black slacks he brought, and the black vest from his Han Solo costume, along with a navy button-up shirt._

_When they got back to their hotel, they were all exhausted. When he woke up, Sean met some people from the convention, and found a beautiful young woman to bring back to his hotel room. Aaron and Penelope never left their room all day, and as the week went by, they had a great time. It had been a crazy week, and they had so much fun. It was the best honeymoon they could have asked for, and it was really special to have Sean there._

_When they got back, they didn't know what to tell their families. Penelope told her brothers' first, and they were extremely upset. She explained what happened, and after telling them that they would have a bonfire to celebrate when Penelope and the guys visit her oldest brother soon, they stopped threatening castration. They understood, but they wanted to give her away, they wanted to give her heartfelt words before it happened, and they really wanted to threaten Aaron good and proper before she committed herself to him._

_Telling the Hotchners' didn't go well either. They told Mrs. Hotchner, and she was a mix of emotions. Happy, ectstatic, and very sad. She was disappointed that they got pregnant, and hurt she couldn't be there, but she couldn't wait to hold the baby in her arms. When Mr. Hotchner found out, he was so angry at Penelope, that they hung up once he first began to swear on the phone._

_They saved and pinched, and had to go move to family housing. It wasn't bad, and although quite simple, was a good size for their small, growing family. The medical bills piled up as she got bigger, but they tried to focus on buying for their little boy on the way._

_It was a couple months until he was born, and they were so nervous, but so excited. They couldn't believe they made this little guy together, and every night Aaron read him a story before Penelope went to sleep. One night, he finished reading, and he heard her stomach growl. He looked up into her eyes and grinned. "Again?" he laughed._

_She laughed along with him, and shrugged. "Your son is hungry, what can I say? This little monster you've made is ravenous."_

"_Monster, huh?"_

_Nodding, she pressed her hand on the baby, who was starting to kick on the side of her growing belly. His hand went to hers, and he kissed the spot he was kicking in softly. Looking up at her lovingly, he bit his lip and enjoyed the little movements against his palm._

"_He is a little monster! Look at him kick! He will be a fighter, huh?"_

_Taking a breath, she sat up with more difficulty than she used to have. "I don't need to see, I feel just fine, honey. To be honest, I've secretly called him that since the stinker was hiding in the first ultrasound. Remember how long it took them to find his heartbeat? I almost had a heart attack!"_

_Aaron nodded, and laid his head against her stomach. "That was terrifying. I only remember the look on the doctor's face looking like someone kicked his puppy until he finally found it on the ultrasound."_

_A beat of silence happened before Aaron spoke again."You may have called this little guy a monster, but I called him a she until the twenty week checkup." he chuckled._

_She melted at that. "I do want a girl, but we have plenty of time to work on another one. I want a whole mess of babies. With you." Aaron laughed, and he sat up with her and wrapped an arm around her so she could lean on him. It was getting late, and she had work extremely early in the morning._

"_A whole mess, huh? I'm sure it would be if we had that many." he chuckled._

_She nodded, and sighed contentedly, looking at her large belly. He put his huge hand over her stomach, and when he did that, she didn't look as big as she felt. He closed his eyes as he kissed her temple. "All I want in this entire world would be to have a beautiful mess with you, Mrs. Hotchner."_

_She kissed him, and just as quickly as his touch burned her, the kiss turned heated. He slid his hand down, and cupped her sex tightly. He couldn't deny seeing her swollen with his child turned him on, and to see how much she wanted him all the time got him rock hard._

_She slipped her hand inside his pajama bottoms, grabbing his length tightly. "Babe, wait. I thought you were hungry."_

_She threw her head back as his hand grabbed a huge breast, and rolled it in his hand. She had huge tits before, and now that she was pregnant... "I am."_

_His dark brown eyes smoldered, looking black in the low lighting. He slipped his fingers under her slip, and she had no panties on. Long fingers slipped inside of her, and he kissed her neck. She was so wet and ready for him. He grunted as she slipped his pants lower, and he sprang out of his pants for a second before her warm hand wrapped around him again. She pumped him for a minute, watching as he lightly moaned against her skin. This was all she needed. She needed him and this little one._

_He got on his knees, and grabbed her knee. "Turn around," he commanded._

_She did as he asked, and turned her head to the side, looking back at him. He was shirtless in the first place, and his beautiful chest was covered in chest hair that finally grew in. It was so sexy and manlier than she thought it would be when she first saw it._

_He took her roughly, his hands gripping her hips tightly, his mouth latched onto her skin. He loved this position, and loved to grab a fistful of her gorgeous golden hair, hearing her cries amplify. His fingers reached around, circling, pinching her clit, listening to her hot noises as he fucked her. Now that she was pregnant, there were really only two positions they could do comfortably, maybe a few more if she was in the mood. She screamed over his grunts and moans, and as orgasm after orgasm hit her, she could barely breathe. Aaron couldn't get enough of her. He knew how to make her scream, which was unappreciated with their thin walls in the dorms, and he knew just how to get her to lose herself. It was so beautiful to watch, like a masterpiece in front of his eyes._

_When they finished, Penelope looked exhausted. He felt guilty, and it was made worse when he heard her stomach growl once again. "Your little monster is not too pleased with you. Did you hear him growling at you?" she smiled._

_He pouted, and poked her belly softly. "Daddy needed sustenance too. I'm sorry. What does monster want to eat?" he asked her belly._

_She blushed, and tapped her chin. "How about some grapes and some grilled-no, fried chicken?"_

_He wanted to give her a weird look, but learned the hard way that it wasn't the best idea to criticize her cravings. Her cravings were normal, but the pairings seemed weird. Once she asked for goldfish crackers with grapes and dipped them in ranch. That was the weirdest one for him. That got Penelope to become hysterical and Sean to come over to berate him for an hour._

_Her pregnancy cravings aside, she was very sweet during the pregnancy. _Very _sweet. She wanted him near her all the time, or Sean had to come over to take his place. The week before, he was at work when he got a call from her while she had a rare day off. She was crying hysterically, couldn't get a word out, and his heart shattered hearing it. Sprinting home, he got there to see her lying on the couch in a ball. When he got her to calm down enough, he asked what was wrong. She cried again, and it went on for a half hour. When he held her, she sniffled, but calmed down. "What's wrong, love?" he asked._

_She whimpered and pointed to the TV. "There was a terrible commercial on! There was a-a-a snowman, and he w-w-was frozen! He came inside, and melted once he ate his soup and it was a-a-a little boy all along!" She wiped her eyes, hiccuping._

_He stared blankly at her, and said in a despondent voice, "The soup commercial with the Christmas song?"_

_Sniffling, she nodded. "I can't watch that one either anymore! I am running out of TV to watch, here Aaron!" She stopped watching most of her shows, since she always managed to cry about something on it._

"_Leannan?"_

"_What?" she asked softly._

"_I'm glad you're okay, but I was terrified to hear you cry over the phone like that."_

_As Penelope understood what he was getting at, she looked like she was about to cry again. He cupped her face, and focused her eyes on his. "Baby, I don't want you to cry. There is nothing wrong with getting upset, but why don't you wait to tell me until I get home, or you could tell Sean instead."_

_Penelope pouted, and looked innocently at him. "But I like to talk to you about that kind of stuff. Sean is just a mere mortal. He would not know how to make me feel better and make me laugh. Okay, he does make me laugh but he is no you."_

"_I know. I love that you need me, and I need you so much, but I need money more at the moment. Just only call in case of emergencies." Penelope blushed, and pouted._

"_I'm sorry, you're right. Only emergencies. I will not cry wolf anymore. I love you."_

"_I love you too. Oh yeah... I know it is to you and me, but Doctor Who season premiere countdown calls and texts are not normal emergencies. You gotta cut back on those too." She scoffed, outraged, and crossed her arms._

"_What's next? Baby name ideas?" Aaron gave her a sassy look, and bit her shoulder playfully. Flinching away from his teeth, she laughed and screeched as she tried to get out of the way, but her belly was making it difficult._

"_Fine! Fine! I won't!" she giggled. He chuckled, and backed out of her space._

"_I really am sorry, Aaron. I didn't mean for you to leave work. That commercial just really hit me. I'm not any different than I was before... right?"_

_Aaron knew immediately what he wanted to say. _Yes. Yes you are. It's kind of adorable how you don't realize it. You are a completely different person_. "No, not at all. Just a little more... _emotional_ than you used to be."_

_"Strange. I feel the same. I need a nap. Come sleep with me."_ s_he smiled sleepily, and he hugged her tightly._

_"Sorry, I can't. I have to get back to work after I make myself a sandwich. Tonight." Pouting, she nodded sadly. She was so cute it hurt. A little frustrating, but it was better than her being a raging bitch like he heard others could be. Aaron turned off the TV, and gave her a book to read, instead. Still didn't help._

_"Poor Dobby!" Aaron heard in the other room._

_When New Year's Eve came around, Penelope and Aaron welcomed Jacob Lucas Hotchner into the world, "Jack" for short. He was named after his great-grandfather, and her step-father's middle name, Jacob. He was seven pounds, nine ounces, twenty one inches long._

_He was so beautiful, and Sean wouldn't stop holding him. Ever since he came into the world, with all of the testing and recovery, Penelope and Aaron had little amount of time to hold him yet. When it was time for delivery, she kicked Sean out of the room, but otherwise stayed with them the entire time. Sean camped out in the room with them even after Jack was born, and studied everything that the nurses taught them. He explained that he needed to know since he was going to babysit so much. Penelope had a nice pregnancy, and even though he was a tiny bit premature, everything worked out well._

"_Sean, you have to let him go sometime," Aaron huffed. While it was endearing, it was starting to irritate them. They barely got to hold their little one yet, and they needed to just stare in awe for a while._

"_I am giving him his warning now, because I don't want to hear as he gets older, 'Uncle Sean! I don't want to go!' I am telling him now that we are carving out a lot of serious male bonding. Someone needs to be that role model in his life, you know." he said, winking._

_Aaron rolled his eyes and listened to his wife laughing. "Funny, asshole."_

_Sean gasped, and covered Jack's ears. "See? What kind of role model is that?" He clicked his tongue, and gave Aaron a scowl._

"_Okay, enough. Go grab us some food, would ya?" He walked over, and grabbed his little boy in his arms. He was so beautiful, and tiny in his hands. He never felt happier. He had everything he wanted, right there in that room._

_Penelope held out her hands, and Aaron smiled as he remembered just a little bit ago she had given him the most amazing gift of his life. Her tears streamed down her face, holding their beautiful child in their arms, and it was a moment that he would never forget. She looked at him with an exhausted smile, and she wept as she saw him hold him. "You're a daddy, Aaron." It was then that he really felt like a father, and all of the weight and responsibility of those words cut off his breathing. Yet, as he took a breath, he was now filled with a determination and deep unconditional love for this person he met only moment's ago. He never felt such joy._

_He passed him off to Penelope, and she kissed his soft head. "He looks exactly like you, Aaron. Look, he even has dark hair." Dark, little fine hairs were poking up a little, and his wrinkly face was a lot like Aaron compared to Penelope. His eyes were a piercing cobalt blue, but that was most likely going to change. She had read that babies' eyes change color within the first six months. He was the spitting image of Aaron, and while she had hoped that were the case, it was kind of funny to see them next to each other. It was like looking into a fun mirror as she saw him close his eyes. He was so beautiful it hurt to look at him._

"_This made the midnight cravings worth it." he joked. She rolled her eyes and set him on the bed in front of her. They could be discharged later, if they wished, and they were still deciding if they wanted to wait or not._

"_How is it possible to love someone so much in just mere hours? No, seconds? Isn't that crazy?"_

_Aaron sat on the edge of the bed, and grabbed his tiny fist. "I know what you mean. Aside from our wedding, this is the most amazing day of my life. I could not love you more, Penelope." he leaned down, and kissed her softly._

"_Now we have a big decision ahead of us." she warned._

_Aaron looked at her quizzically. "Now we have to decide if we are one hundred percent ready to face the world, and bring him home now."_

_Aaron sighed. "Oh, good. I thought you were going to ask if we should circumcise or not." he laughed._

"_Okay, two big decisions, then." she smiled._

"_I say we don't circumcise. Let him make the choice when he's older." Penelope nodded, and agreed._

_Penelope talked in a baby voice to Aaron, while she looked at Jack. "Let's go home, Daddy. Yes! We need to go home because otherwise those stinky nurses come and take me away and then Mommy gets very angry. We don't want Mommy angry, right?" Aaron laughed, and tucked her into his side. Kissing her hair, he rested his forehead on her head._

"_Yes. We'll leave soon. I love you so much."_

"_I love you, too."_

* * *

**A.N.**_**\- Send me love! Thanks for reading!**_


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